


Back To One

by EonAO3



Category: Sebastian Stan - Fandom
Genre: Acting, Angst, Broadway, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff, Hollywood, Humor, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Mild Language, New York City, Romance, Sebastian Stan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2018-05-10 11:07:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 85
Words: 243,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5583490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EonAO3/pseuds/EonAO3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Streetcar Named Desire takes a Hollywood starlet back to the stage in NYC, where life twists and friendships evolve when they need to most.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Born Lilian Marie Benjamin, everyone called her Lily.

She was an actress who found her fame early. Her first film production was at 9, a brooding drama about a broken down, drug addicted single mother. The film won the writer a statue and her the dubious honor of being the youngest Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress, a hint to the bigger things to come. The expectations were high and the demand grew as she did. She managed the push and rush of a shooting star career with surprising grace and sensibilities for someone so young still learning who she was and who she wanted to be.

At 10, she had chalked up appearances in two full length features. By 15 she had two minor Broadway productions on her résumé and two more films. By 16, she had tutored her way through an early high school diploma and was a bankable young leading lady. The frenzy of her young career subsided when she took a break to continue her education and develope her craft, attending NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where she earned her MFA.  She struggled to complete her final semester on schedule after the sudden loss of her mother to a drunk driver in her adopted home of LA. She succeeded though, and found a new drive in the limelight.

She took on voice and dance lessons to broaden her versatility. A move that, at 20, garnered her a leading role in an elegant Baz Luhrmann production that proved she had never left the top of the mountain, she had only stepped aside for a moment. Nominated for the Best Actress Oscar, she lost without complaint to a Hollywood legend and took home a Golden Globe in consolation. Her résumé at 25 included a long list of supporting and leading roles, independent and powerhouse director's films alike, and a shelf full of minor and major awards. And a growing reputation as "difficult".

The pressure of perfection in the spotlight was daunting. It hadn't gone beyond anyone's notice that her red carpet demeanor had slowly changed after the loss of her mother. Her first manager and biggest fan, she had encouraged and protected her young daughter in a precarious balancing act. Negotiating deals, smartly handling her money, and insisting upon her proper education and as many "normal" childhood experiences as could be had, the woman was business savvy and a loving mother first.

After her return to Hollywood, the offers poured in and her calendar of commitments filled quickly. She averaged two or more roles a year, slowing down with a stage run here and there to keep her theater skills sharp. Her privacy all but vanished as cameras followed her to and from home, on shopping trips and to the gym, to lunches with friends and dinners with what the press would have you believe was a revolving door of handsome and high profile lovers. No one should have been surprised when she began hiding behind sunglasses and hats, even at night.

Her management team had learned, quickly, how to put out the fires caused by a profane gesture or push back at physically intrusive paparazzi, and the public demanded more. Rumors and bleary eyed photos of the beautiful starlet outside bars and clubs painted her as reckless and a poor role model. Tailored suits and speaking engagements for charitable causes showed she was still respectable and enlightened. The public rallied on both sides, decrying the lost innocence of America's sweetheart and defending her right to be left alone. She was loved or hated, with very little room to be in between.

"Welcome, everyone!" the director exclaimed, arms raised and open wide to punctuate his slightly self-indulgent and rallying speech.

It was a collaborative effort of several New York fine arts institutions and foundations that got her to New York City. A bold idea to put on six different plays, celebrating the stage and great play writes, to raise money to fund enrichment programs and renew aging playhouses in the city. A mix of Hollywood and Broadway to perform the half dozen plays in two week runs at multiple houses in the theater district over a two month span. 

The project brought names from far and wide. 'A Street Car Named Desire' begged Lily to The Abassador Theater. Among the names to join her was Sebastian Stan. They had met in 2009 when they both mentored a New York City children's acting camp for a week. The pair became fast friends, making the rounds of the New York nightlife and keeping in sporadic touch over the years. When filming found him in Los Angeles, they toured the LA club scene and lunched when their time was free. She was a "worthy ambassador of the West coast" he had told her, almost convincing him the town was worth a permanent change of address in his more capricious youth.

Lily had come in mid-speech. Her flight delayed by weather rerouting her over the Midwest around some storms and her commute damned by Manhattan rush hour, she slipped in the side door and took a spot at the back of the group of talent and crew in the orchestra seating. The house lights were up and she saw the side eye the director gave her when she finally appeared. She had the casting list from her agent, but hadn't reached out or heard from any of the other actors on the production. There had only been a brief phone call from the director and a few ass kissing calls from producers and fund leaders to thank her for lending her name and talent to the cause. With her feet kicked up on the back of the seat in front of her and eyes on her phone, she was surprised when a hand slapped the side of her knee and she looked up with a start.

"What's up, Benny?" Sebastian asked, with a smile as wide as the stage. "Glad to see you made it."

Lily dropped her feet to the floor as he settled in the aisle beside her, leaning to sit against the back of the chair behind him. "Good afternoon, sir," she smiled back.

"Come here," he said, a hand circling at the wrist, pleading for her to stand. When she took too long to put her phone back in her purse and get up, he grabbed her forearm to finish pulling her to her feet and tugged her in for a hug. "How come you didn't call?" he asked, giving her a squeeze.

"Busy," she shrugged, as they parted and she looked him over. "You look good."

"Naturally," he agreed, with a cocky smile and raised eyebrow.

She gave him a push in the shoulder and took up her purse, turning to move out of the aisle and head backstage to be measured for costumes. "Good to know the city's keeping you humble," she noted.

Sebastian chuckled, following her up the stairs at the edge of the stage. "You don't look so bad yourself. Blood of virgins? Voodoo?"

"Deal with Satan himself," she corrected, the tone somewhere between disgruntled and proud.

"Nice," he nodded. "I was a little surprised to see you attached to this."

"Me too," she quipped, pausing for a step at an intersection in the hall and moving on when Sebastian pointed her left. "Guess I needed a change of pace for a minute."

"So I've heard," he told her, his voice dropping a level. Lily threw him a quick scowl over her shoulder and he let out a small and apologetic sigh, as he reached ahead of her to push open the door. "That sounded mean," he admitted. "Sorry."

Her brow shrugged the comment off. "Yeah. Everybody's heard, I guess," she said.

They split to opposite sides of the room, taken in different directions by different seamstresses. "Same number?" Sebastian asked, as he followed his Wardrobe guide.

"Yes," Lily answered. 

"We'll talk later," he promised.

Her suite in The Plaza overlooked Central Park and the view held her bored gaze. The evening light falling into her living room window was cut into slices by the buildings of the city skyline. In the doorway ahead of her, her suitcases were still stacked and unopened in the bedroom. She fought her management team to come alone, insisting even her personal assistant stay behind, to give her space to clear her head. Her manager was the most vocal opposition, believing she needed to be chaperoned even going to the bathroom she had given him so many headaches in the last year. In the end, though, the girl who brings in the money makes the decisions. The one person she permitted on the trip was the head of her private security, Drew.

A tall and imposing, 16 year career Marine who maintained a standard issue high and tight and a warrior's physique. He was appropriately intimidating and, at 40, levelheaded enough to keep her safe from the world and herself. She footed his expenses and set him up in a room down the hall, so he was close if she needed him. His only rules were her absolute assurance that she never went anywhere he didn't know about and always did as he said when they traveled or were at events. To her, he came off as more fatherly than frightening and she trusted him implicitly. After six years in her employ, he had muscled and counseled her out of enough bad situations that she honestly didn't really trust anyone else more than him to come with her. Her inner circle had shrunk drastically in the last few years, an unfortunate but necessary result of people using friendships and selling stories for their own gain. Drew was as much friend and family to her as anyone, considering she really had none. If it were out of pity for her, he never let on and she appreciated it. In return, she treated Drew and his team exceptionally well.

Her phone buzzed, dancing on the coffee table in the middle of the room. She grabbed it on her way to the door to let in Room Service. The New York area coded phone number above the preview wasn't in her phonebook but the message let her know who it was and she smiled at the screen, as the server set her dinner on the dining room table. Tipping the staffer on his way out, she locked the door and opened her phone to save the new number- Seb Stan.

Seb: Bennyyyyyy

Lily: Yes, dear

Seb: What are you doing?

Lily: Having dinner.

She pulled out a chair to sit at the table and sipped the glass of wine that came up with her steak.

Seb: What's for dinner?

Lily inched back from the table to take a photo of her dinner service and forwarded it along.

Seb: Yum where are you?

Lily: Plaza

Seb: Of course you are.

Lily: Can't beat the view

Lily: New number?

Seb: Yeah. Had to last year

Lily: So I couldn't have called you anyway.

Seb: Touché. Save me now?

Lily: Already saved. Always save room for Sebastian Stan;)

Seb: That's why you're my favorite. I'll let you get back to dinner. Good to have you back in NY. See you in the a.m.

Lily: Yep

She put her phone aside on the table. Picking up her knife and fork, she paused. Staring blankly at her meal, she took in the quiet of the room. The traffic whispering up from the street was the only sound to compete with her breathing. The stillness was refreshing. She cut into her steak and chewed with an unexplained smile at the corner of her mouth. It wasn't for the meal. It wasn't the best steak she'd ever had, but it was worth the price. Her head tipped thoughtfully, she sipped from her glass and realized she felt relaxed for the first time in weeks. She cut herself another piece and sent a message to Drew that she was in for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

"So," the director concluded his first speech of the day, "let's just go from page 1 and go through the end. Do what comes naturally and we'll see what we like."

"Hey, there! Stella, Baby!" Sebastian called, walking across the stage.

"Don't holler at me like that. Hi, Mitch," 'Stella' replied from the upper part of stairs to an incomplete balcony.

"Catch!" 'Stanley' warned her.

"What?" she worried.

"Meat!" he told her, pantomiming throwing something her way before he and 'Mitch' turned to go.

"Stanley!" she yelled after them. "Where are you going?"

For the next hour they ran through the text of A Street Car Named Desire on a sunny Monday morning in New York's famed Theater District. Thumbing pages and supposing where set pieces would be, the first morning of rehearsal went surprisingly well. Lily had played Blanche once in an NYU production and the movie had been a favorite of her mother's and it had given her a weak spot for the story. She didn't think anyone knew how happy she actually was to have been invited to the project. Her management team only thought of the play and the rigorous demands of the schedule involved as a way to give her a little more grounding.

As of late, she had been causing them some grief, flipping off and cursing at photographers who followed her to a friend's baby shower and hanging up on a phone interview when they cornered her about rumors of drug use instead of about the charity event she was slated to discuss. When she shoved back at a paparazzo that reached his camera into her car before Drew could finish shutting the door, her manager put her on notice. When she was photographed stumbling on the sidewalk into Drew's arm after leaving a magazine party at two in the morning, no one but him believed it was because of the loose heel of her Manolos. She was already painted into a corner by the press and it didn't matter that Drew could vouch she only had two glasses of champagne during the whole of the six hour event, her handlers were already too jaded from the bad behavior she did deserve scorn for.

At the end of the long afternoon, Drew was standing outside Lily's open dressing room door as she gathered her things. He looked up from his phone to nod and smile his permission at Sebastian as he came down the hall. Sebastian paused, squinting a questioning eye and pointing at the strong man.

"Drew, right?" he asked, his face cracking to an open smile, pleased at his accomplishment when Drew smiled and nodded that he had remembered correctly.

"How you doin', Mr. Stan?" Drew replied.

"Good. Real good," Sebastian told him, shaking his hand as he passed through Lilian's doorway. Inside, Lily was packing her phone into her purse and grabbing a bottle of water from the mini fridge. "Hey, doll face," he said as way of announcing himself.

Lily turned around and smirked at him. "Yes, dear?"

"Good day," he boasted, raising his arms open from his sides in anticipation of her shared optimism. "Good start."

"Not bad," she shrugged. "Director's a bit of a tool."

"Well, you're a hard sell," he grumbled. "It's the first day. It'll get better. This is gonna be fun."

She smiled. "I'm sure you're right."

"God damn right I am," he asserted with a pointing finger and it got her to crack another smile. Sebastian jerked his thumb to the door behind him. "See you still keep Spike around."

"Loyal as a labrador and meaner than a junkyard dog," she explained, with genuine fondness. "Couldn't live without him."

"You forgot badder than ol' King Kong," Drew pointed out, coming into the edge of the room. "Car's here."

"Did we just go 'Leroy Brown'?" Sebastian asked on a disbelieving and amused laugh.

"Always go 'Leroy Brown'," Lily winked, patting a hand on Drew's thick arm as he nodded his agreement with her.

Sebastian followed her out into the hallway. "I got this thing I gotta do tonight," he began, "but we should grab dinner and catch up. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I don't know," Lily shrugged. "Depends on how the day goes, I guess."

"Don't play me like that," he told her with a friendly shove from behind. "We're going out for dinner tomorrow. My treat."

"There's about twenty people outside waiting," Drew advised Lily from the rear. "Do you want to stop?"

Lily hesitated at the exit door and sighed. Sebastian nudged her arm. "Come on," he prodded. "It'll be fun."

"Fine," Lily agreed.

Drew nodded to the jacketed theater security by the door. A guard opened and held the door for the trio as two other guards followed them outside. Lily fixed on a smile and gave a small wave when the fans outside caught sight of the performers exiting the building and began calling their names. Sebastian was far more gracious than Lily was interested in being. His smile was more energetic and genuine than she felt, but she was a great actress and no one was the wiser. As Sebastian answered questions and leaned in for selfies, Drew kept a calming and leading hand on Lily's shoulder, watching the crowd carefully and guiding her along as she moved slowly down the line of outstretched hands, signing autographs and thanking them for their support. She didn't give them the extra time Sebastian did though, leaving him behind as Drew ushered her to the waiting car.

Behind the privacy of the tinted windows, Drew told the driver they were ready to go. "Put your seatbelt on," he reminded her. "Looked good today. I think the play's gonna be great."

Lily put aside her purse and clicked on her seatbelt, smiling her first authentic smile of the day. "Thanks, D."

True to his word, Sebastian waited for Lily after the second day's rehearsal. Drew moved her along the small reception of fans that waited outside the door hoping for a photo or signature from the lead actors. This time, Sebastian kept her pace. With remorseful apologies to the fans for them not having much time to spare, he was only a couple steps behind Lily. He slid into the backseat of her chauffeured car as Drew shut the door behind him and took a seat up front with the driver this time.

"So," Lily began, clicking on her seatbelt before Drew could scold her, "where are we going?"

"The Russian Tea Room," Sebastian said, as much to answer her as to tell the driver.

She gave a slow approving nod. "Interesting," she noted.

"Come on," he urged, wondering for a moment if he should have gone with a more casual pick. "You used ta love The Tea Room."

"I did." She smiled at his memory. "I do," she corrected herself.

Raising herself to take a peek in the rear view mirror, Lily frowned. She fussed with her hair a moment, bunching it up at the crown of her head and twisting it around to knot loosely in a hair band from her wrist. Still not pleased, Lily eyed Sebastian as he unwittingly checked his phone beside her. Without a word, she plucked his hat from his head and settled it over her bun. He raised his brow and looked at her from the side of his eye, shaking his head with a smile as he responded to an email from his agent.

They may have been slightly underdressed, but Hollywood had a habit of making casual more elegant than it deserved. With Sebastian in jeans and a white t-shirt that's collar peeked out from below a dark blue sweater and Lily in a white Henley with a flowered cotton scarf layering in loops around her neck, dark blue jeans, slim black stiletto boots, and her hair tucked under Sebastian's newsboy cap, they were below the typical business casual grade of diners. The opportunity to have their star power in the dining room gave them the latitude to disregard the usual expectations of The Russian Tea Room and bestowed a table without a wait.

Pushing around the leaves in her market salad, Lily felt the eyes on her and, if she strained to listen, she swore she heard her name and his on hushed tongues nearby. She wasn't disinterested in her appetizer, it was just that the attention they were under made her self-conscious. Sebastian didn't seem to notice or, maybe, he didn't care. After all, it was his city. She hadn't been to New York for a couple years and, even then, it had been a quick stop on a premiere or press tour. A couple days or three and she was gone, schedule too full to breath let alone see anyone, like Sebastian, who didn't treat her like a pariah to spare their own image.

His voice snapped her back to the room. "Hm? I'm sorry. What?"

"Your salad," he said, gesturing with his fork in hand toward her plate. "I asked if there's something wrong with it."

She glanced down at the plate in front of her as if she were surprised to see it. "No," she shook her head, with a smile hinting at embarrassment and apology. "It's fine."

"You not hungry?" Sebastian asked, folding a piece of lettuce with his fork and continuing to eat.

Lily adjusted the utensil in her hand to gather a bite of the greens and fruit. "Just a little distracted. Sorry."

Sebastian took a look across the room as he chewed. He spotted a not so subtle diner adjusting a cell phone toward their booth and he frowned as he looked back to his plate for his next bite. He realized what she meant and shrugged.

"Don't let them ruin dinner," he told her and added a smile her way. "This is supposed to be fun."

She smiled warmly at him. "This is," she said, trying to reassure him she was more comfortable than she actually was. "I can't remember the last time I came to The Tea Room."

"Thought you'd get a kick out of it," he smiled, pleased that his restaurant suggestion had pleased her. "How is it being back in New York?"

"It's good," she nodded. "Pretty much the way I left it."

Her bit of humor broadened his smile. "The more things change, the more they stay the same," he noted. "You should think about sticking around after the play closes. I think it'd help recharge the batteries, ya know? Even if you didn't stay in the city. Maybe go up to the Hamptons or something. A little out of season, but that's not a bad thing."

"If I could," Lily frowned. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"What's so important you have to rush home for?" he asked, nodding his thanks to the waiter that topped off their wine and water glasses.

"Schedule," she summarized before a drink. "Readings for a couple parts, another charity luncheon, meetings with the wardens, magazine interview and shoot, etcetera and so forth."

"The 'wardens'?" he questioned with a curious smile at the side of his mouth.

"My management team," she sighed. "Fuckin' harpies."

"That's harsh," Sebastian chuckled.

"No," Lily said, her eyes widening for emphasis. "That's accurate. I swear, if I had the time, I'd shop for replacements for all of them."

"They can't be that bad," he casually defended them. "Look how well you're doing. They gotta be doin' something right."

"I guess so," she begrudgingly agreed.

"Enough about managers and agents," he decided, pushing his empty plate away and taking a drink of wine as he settled back into his chair. "What have you been doing, Benny? It's been, Christ, like 3 years, is it?"

"Something like that," she said, trying to do the math in her head. "Maybe four?" She shrugged. "Been doing everything. You know me, nonstop adventure and danger."

Sebastian sputtered into his glass. "And danger," he repeated to himself with an amused snort. "You've been making quite a name for yourself."

Lily rolled her eyes and paused while the waiter returned to clear their plates before she spoke again. "Yeah. Nothing gets by Perez Hilton," she grumbled.

"That's not what I meant," he frowned. "I meant, you're working, making the rounds, doing Broadway again." He paused, setting his glass down on the table. "You've been the 'it' girl for, like, over 10 years now."

"Yeah," she nodded, a little embarrassed by the assessment. "Been around awhile."

"I don't know why you're not more excited about being you," Sebastian told her, nodding thanks to the waiter as he laid down their entrees. "It's a helluva life, Benny. You're too young to be this old and bitter."

"Younger than your ass, you bastard," she pointed out before a sip of wine.

"That's more like it," he smiled.

Dinner with Sebastian had been the highlight of the week. The rehearsals had begun to take form. The sets were progressing slowly and the director had settled on his blocking for the most part. Wednesday found the cast starting and stopping several times, scooting around as he adjusted how he saw them moving and framed before he saw his vision. By the end of the week, script margins had notes and marks were being taped along the stage.

"I'm not sure it would have made any difference where I saw him," 'Stella' said.

'Blanche' rolled her eyes. "Now don't say it was one of those mysterious electric things between people. If you do I'll laugh in your face."

"I am not going to say anything more at all about it," 'Stella' decided.

"All right, then don't!" 'Blanche' scoffed.

"But there are things that happen between a man and a woman in the dark," 'Stella' went on, her hands wringing at the thought, "that sort of make everything else seem...unimportant."

"That's enough," the director called from his seat. "Let's get to page 74, please, everyone, before we go." Pages turned and actors settled into their spots. "Blanche and Stella. Blanche's thoughts on Stanley. Stanley's at the door..."

"He acts like an animal, has an animal's habits," 'Blanche' began tearing down Stanley. "Eats like one, moves like one, talks like one..."

Lily read along with the page. In her pocket, her phone buzzed an incoming call. She slipped the phone into her palm and up into her script. Checking the caller ID, she sent the call to voicemail and put the phone away with a nervous tremor in her hand.

"In this dark march toward whatever it is we're approaching," 'Blanche' wound down, "don't...don't hang back with the brutes."

"Hey!" 'Stanley' called from the mark of the front door. "Hey Stella!"

"Stanley," 'Stella' realized, moving across the imaginary room.

"Stell, I-," Blanche called after her.

"Hiyuh, Stella," he greeted. "Blanche back?"

"Yes, she's back," 'Stella' answered, moving as if she were taking his things.

"Hiyuh, Blanche," he smiled.

"You must've got under the car," 'Stella' supposed.

"Them damn mechanics at Fritz's don't know their ass fr'm- Hey!"

Lily wrapped her arms around Sebastian, hugging him tight as the script called for. Sebastian folded his arms around her and laughed toward 'Blanche' in the next 'room'. The director called the end of the scene making his way up to the stage. Sebastian let Lily go with a juvenile tug of her ponytail as she stepped apart from him, the enthusiasm of the scene gone and her face drawn into distracted boredom. She stuck out her tongue and moved another step away from his reach. It was quiet as the director stopped and checked his page. In the pause, Lily's phone vibrated again, the buzz just loud enough to fetch curious looks from the other actors nearby, trying to locate the source of the small noise. Lily pulled out her phone and ignored the call again, despite every instinct begging her to answer.

The director scowled at her. "Are we keeping you from something, Ms. Benjamin?" he asked, dryly and unamused.

"No," was her snarky reply back, as she slipped the phone back into her pocket.

"Well," he huffed, "now that I finally have your undivided attention, can you please tell me what you were doing?"

"Excuse me?" Lily asked.

"That little parade of yours," he told her, flitting his hand across the stage. "Since Wednesday, you're supposed to cross to the door, shut it for 'Stanley', move forward to Sebastian's-"

"Yeah," she interrupted, her irritation becoming evident. "I know the marks."

"I'd beg to differ," he scoffed. "Because what you were doing is not the way we have been rehearsing. What _you're_ doing is not the current blocking for-"

"Okay," she said, putting up a brief, calming hand. "I get it. Next time."

"Perhaps if you weren't so preoccupied with your cell phone," the director went on.

Lily checked her watch and, seeing that it was 6:06, closed her script and walked off stage. Behind her, the director stammered, continuing to chide her even as she disappeared behind the curtain. Drew was instantly up out of his seat in the theater and heading back stage to catch up with her. Sebastian raised his brow and looked around at his fellow actors with the same silent questions about what just happened. Flustered, the director called rehearsal for the day and stormed back into the orchestra seating to have an animated and hushed conversation with his AD.

On her way down the hallway, she opened her phone and listened to her voicemail. Her best friend in LA, a fashion writer for a heavyweight magazine, sounded exhausted and elated in the messages. Lily shut the door to her dressing room as Drew posted himself outside. She smiled with relief as she listened to the murmurs of a healthy baby girl and the breathy happiness of a new mom who made it through a high risk pregnancy and an emergency C-section. She typed out a warm congratulation to her friend and apology for her absence when she needed her, signed with Lily's love and a promise to call very soon. The message sent, she dropped the phone in her purse and caught her frustrated expression in the mirror.

"Fuckin' asshole," she cursed her director.


	3. Chapter 3

Lily let out a heavy exhale. Standing in the middle of the room, she tilted her head back and stretched her neck from side to side. She mumbled a few more profane names for the director under her breath and tossed the script from under her arm onto her mirrored dressing table near her purse. Taking a deep breath as she fell backward into the small sofa along the wall, she blew the air out through puffed cheeks and closed her eyes. Slowly, she felt herself calm down and the heat leave her face.

Outside, Drew put up a hand to ward Sebastian away from the door. "I'd give her a minute," Drew suggested.

"Nah," Sebastian said, dismissing his concern. "It's no big deal."

Drew tipped his head to the side, a shrug of sorts that said he had warned him. Sebastian gave him a friendly clap on the arm as the bodyguard moved aside to let him pass. He gave a quick knock on the door and didn't wait for an answer. Sebastian let himself in and shut the door behind him.

"What was that about?" he asked, leaning a shoulder into the wall beside the doorway.

Lily rolled her eyes and dropped her head back to the cushion behind her. "Nevermind," she groaned, plainly in no mood to discuss the matter.

"C'mon, Benny," he began. "The guy's a little full of himself, but there's no reason to walk off like that?

Her head lolled to the side and she glared at him. "The guy's a dick," she corrected.

"To be fair, we have been using that blocking for almost two days now," Sebastian pointed out.

Lily turned her gaze back up to the ceiling and pursed her lips into a tight pout. "Yeah," she nodded with an unconcerned wave through the air. "A whole two days. That one should forget the difference of a three foot mark after two damned days. Someone call the fuckin' cops."

"There's no reason to get pissy," he told her. "It was a mistake. You'll remember next time."

She scoffed, an aggrivated smirk tugging her mouth to one side. Across the room, her phone buzzed the arrival of a message. Lily picked up her head to look at her purse for a moment before she sat forward, bending her elbows into her knees and leaning her head into the palms of her hands. She let out a quiet groan, wanting to check the message and simultaneously resentful of the trouble the phone had already caused for the day.

"Forget to turn that off or is it back on already?" he asked, earning a scornful look from under her hands.

"Like I need this shit from you, too," she grumbled.

"You're bringing it on yourself," he told her. "That damn thing's been in your hand since you got here. You know better than to have it on you on stage, even during rehearsal, and especially with this director. Give it to Drew or something if it's that important."

"You know what?" she challenged, lifting her head and dropping her hands to hang between her knees. She held her breath, thinking better of going on. She closed her eyes and shook her head instead of explaining the reason she had kept her phone close for the week.

"Come on, Lily," he half complained. "You're better than this. It's like you're just phoning it in." Sebastian gestured to her purse as the phone alerted again, adding, "Pardon the expression."

Lily's lips puckered into a tight, angry smile. She wasn't mad at him. He was right. It was everything else she was mad at. New York was supposed to be her escape. It was a chance to get back to basics and be a part of a play that always had a place in her heart and with people, like Sebastian, she admired. Instead, she was finding herself in the same judgmental rut of people's preconceived notions. She was nearing the point of stooping to meet their insultingly low expectations just to spite them by being the bitch they figured she was.

"Are you done?" she snapped, wincing into another glare.

"What happened to you?" Sebastian asked, his face pinched in a combination of curiosity and what she saw as mild disgust or disappointment.

It wasn't the first time a coworker or friend had given her that look. Concerned and offering or dismissive and indifferent, seemingly unsure whether to hold out a hand or push her aside, no one ever knowing what she was doing or needed. She began to suspect some time ago that she didn't know either.

"Do you ever look at yourself?" he asked, the question still mixing on his face.

She felt a heat rising from her middle, defensive and hardening. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Your face," he explained. "Do you ever see what you put out there for the world?" Her silence in the pause gave him the answer that she had never considered it, or maybe had once but stopped caring. "Your face, your smile, your eyes," he went on. "Did you ever notice how they used to shine? They haven't for a long time."

Her eyes leveled slightly, almost imperceptibly but enough to say she was becoming uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. Sebastian studied her for a brief moment before his look went firm and he tipped off the wall to cross to her dressing table. He picked up her phone from where it peeked out of her purse and tossed it into the empty couch cushion beside her.

"Look at yourself," he told her. "Pull up some photos and look at yourself 10 years ago, or even just 5. Tell me you can't see the difference." He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back onto the edge of the mirrored table. "Tell me you don't see when you stopped smiling on the red carpet and replaced it with that stare."

"I grew up," she told him, picking up her phone from beside her and turning it face down.

"You grew up?" he repeated, furrowing his brow. "That's some bullshit. Grew up from smiling and being happy?"

"I'm not unhappy," she defended with a small scowl. "I'm 32 now. I don't have to smile to sell me."

Sebastian's ears pricked. He straightened up, his shoulders squaring and his eyes sharpening to read her. That was it. He understood it now. Sex sells and the coolness on the carpet could be a defense mechanism just as much as it was a brand.

"Sell yourself?" he asked, his tone softened with his expression. "You think that look, that pissed off stare or a smolder you pin on, is what you have to do? What do you think people want from you?"

"Everything," she said, biting and with a hurt he'd never heard from her before.

"That's not true," he said, hoping it was and wanting her to hear it.

"Isn't it?" she demanded hotly. "I live in a goddamn fishbowl. You know what it's like. Your hair, your teeth, your skin. What you say, where you go, what you eat and, heaven forbid, what you drink. What you're wearing, who you're fucking. There's not a piece of you someone won't dissect and judge you for." She stood up, jabbing her finger at the air to make her point. "They want perfection. 'Cause without it, you're nothing. There's a million girls waiting to take my place. Any one of them could do what I do and they probably want it badder than I do."

"You have no idea what it's like to be me," she railed on. "The hoops on fire I go through, the hours and work I put in, the things I give up to be here, the tear downs in the tabloids, the things people tell you about yourself. I'm on the wrong side of 30. Do you have any idea how many years I got left of people wanting me? Do you know the shelf life of actresses?" She didn't wait for an answer, to any of it. "It doesn't matter where I went to school or how many statues someone gives me, how many covers I make or speeches I give. There's a mold I'm in and it's the only thing keeping me relevent." She took in an angry breath. "You read I party too much with the wrong people. That I, I stumble home late at night and go to auditions hungover? Some bad girl who doesn't give a shit, a prima donna who goes through a different guy every month. Too skinny, too fat. That I'm some selfish, overrated, overpaid hack.

"Where's the line between what people write and the truth? Huh? How much of that is true? Do _you_ know? 'Cause I don't know the difference anymore. But they want it and I've got to give it to them, because it sells magazines and fills seats." She shook her head, looking up at the ceiling. "Christ," she muttered. "That's all it is. A tight body and perfect hair, saying all the right things, supporting the right causes. A smile for every single camera in your face, every fucking minute of your life since you were 20. Nevermind that you've been under the magnifying glass since you were 9 years old and people are betting on when you fail, begging to see you fall.

"Not being there for people who need me and missing out on what little life I have because I've got to keep selling me. 99% of my life planned for me down to the last second and detail. But I'm 'a bitch and difficult to work with'? Because assholes like this director can't even treat you like a human being?" She swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. "And you've got the nerve to tell me I don't _smile_ anymore?" she seethed. "Who the fuck are you?"

He didn't know if she even knew there were tears in her eyes. The red in her face and the heave of her chest made him regret having ever brought anything up, let alone coaxing this damaged revelation from her. The room was quiet for a moment as she took a deep breath to center herself. A flick of her eyes up to the ceiling again and a long blink and they were clear again. He marveled silently at how quickly the cracks were repaired, stepping aside as she waved him away from her mirror to redraw a line above her lashes with nothing more than a small sniff and gentle clear of her throat to compose herself.

"Lil," Sebastian began, softly, and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean- I just wanted you to see-...Fuck." He dragged a hand down his face, one hand on his hip and watching as Lily eyed her reflection and pieced apart her hair, fluffing it with her fingertips. "I just want you to know I understand."

She straightened up and tugged down the hem of her shirt with a final check of her reflection. "No, you don't," she told him, flatly and unmoved, grabbing her purse and going back to the couch for her phone.

"I don't think you're difficult," he tried to assure her, turning on his heel to face her as she moved. "You're incredible. There's not a million girls out there who could do what you do. You know that." She stuffed her phone into her purse and stopped to look at him again. "You're more than what people write about you. We all are...You don't have to believe them or play along."

"Get to where I am," she suggested, cocking an arrogant eyebrow and hooking her purse over her shoulder as she started for the door, "then tell me how easy that is."

Lily opened the door and left, Drew falling in step behind her. She left the door open and Sebastian standing in the middle of the dressing room searching for his breath. Sebastian looked around the room as if there were some cue of what to do next. When he didn't find one, he walked out, snapping the light off behind him. Down the hall ahead of him, he heard the clamping echo of the metal stage door shutting. A pair of security guards in blue sport coats lead him out the door and a PA opened an umbrella over his head as they stepped outside. Ahead of him, an umbrellaless Lily was already dipping into the backseat of the black Town Car waiting to take her home. To the right, a small collection of fans clamored in the alley, reaching and calling for his attention.

Walking over to the fans, he heard the car door shut and engine pull away. Accepting a marker from an outstretched hand, Sebastian greeted his admirers warmly. Signing and posing for several minutes, he forgot the discomfort of the people waiting in the rain when it occurred to him he was grateful the cold, wet weather offered Lily an excuse to leave. He doubted she had the interest tonight, if even the will, to go down the line thanking her fans. He dutifully explained she was a little under the weather tonight when a few voices in the crowd asked why Lily had left so quickly and assured them she sent her love to them all.

There was no rehearsal for Lilian for the next two days. Blankets pulled up to her nose and eyes stuck vacantly to the ceiling, Lily listened to the sound of her breathing and the hushed noise of the city outside her hotel room windows. She exerted the minimum amount of energy and muscle it took to see the clock on the bedside alarm. 12:27 p.m. Her phone on the nightstand buzzed a short reminder of the text message she had ignored, probably with another notice of the two phone calls she had ignored before that. Begrudgingly, she flipped aside the covers and put her feet on the floor.

Her head followed a slow second behind the rest of her body, a result of the empty bottle of wine across the way on her dresser top. Lily picked up her phone and thumbed across the screen to her messages. A voicemail from her manager, scolding her briefly for her behavior the day before and one from her assistant reminding her of the travel arrangements for her trip that afternoon back to LA to emcee a World Wildlife Fund charity luncheon on Sunday. The text message was a short apology from Sebastian.

Seb: I'm sorry again if I said anything that offended you last night. Don't let people get you down. You truly are incredible.

Lilian scoffed quietly at the message and dropped the phone onto her pillow. Fucking Sebastian- glass always half full. She pushed off the bed, with a small groan at her headache and taking a pause to steady herself. She swiped the empty bottle off the dresser and dropped it into the garbage can on her way to the bathroom for a shower. Lily didn't bother to pack a bag for her short weekend home. Room Service delivered a late lunch, or, in her case, breakfast, as she messaged with her assistant to try and find a few minutes to see her friend in the hospital while she was home. The front desk called an hour later to tell her the car service to the airport had arrived and she rode out behind dark sunglasses.

"How was your trip?"

"Fan-fucking-tastic," she said, laced with fake enthusiasm. She unwrapped her thin, cotton scarf, letting it hang down from behind her neck and shaking out her hair. She had managed to squeeze in an all too brief half hour visit to her friends in LA and shower them with flowers and balloons to beg their forgiveness at her not being there like she had hoped to be. She cradled their new arrival and cooed over the tiny brunette she would godmother, her brief calm before jumping a flight out of LAX.

Sebastian shook his head with a thin smile on his lips as he thumbed through his copy of the script. He didn't really expect much more enthusiasm from her for a Monday morning. He came to page 25, like the director had instructed, and curled the previous pages around the back of the book. He eyed Lily carefully, trying to see if she might still be upset with him for calling her out on her behavior last week. She hadn't replied to his texted apology. Lily had come in like she cared about nothing at all, maybe, he supposed, a bit tired from her turn around trip in LA over the weekend.

"Top of Scene 2," the director's voice echoed around the wide open stage. "From the very beginning."

Sebastian moved to the side of the stage and looked over his shoulder to check Lily found her mark. She moved to her spot on the mostly bare stage as a pair of the crew pushed in some furniture for a makeshift set for blocking. Lily flipped her book open and skimmed the page.

"And let's use the new blocking today, everyone," the director added drolly.

Sebastian rolled his eyes over and off the stage at the unnecessary comment, calling the director a "prick" under his breath. He checked his gaze over to Lily. Her jaw pushed forward in a frowning purse as she made a small, tense nod. Her eyes stared sharply at the script held tightly in her hands. She brooded quietly until the director called the scene to life and Sebastian took his cue.

"What's all this monkey doings?" he asked, crossing into the set.

"Oh, Stan!" 'Stella' exclaimed, rushing to meet him. Lily threw herself into a quick kiss, her script making a soft clap against Sebastian's shoulders as she reached around him. "I'm taking Blanche to Galartoire's for supper and then to a show, because it's your pok'r night."

"How about my supper?" he asked. "I'm not going to Galatoire's for supper."

"I put you a cold plate on ice."

"Well, isn't that just dandy!"

A small smile played at the corner of Sebastian's mouth. She was on point. Her accent was perfect, her movements light and energetic. She glided around the stage without a glance at the book in her hand. Maybe she had a better trip home than she let on, or maybe she did it to piss off the director. Either way, for the few minutes the director let the scene run, she was flawless.

"Not bad," the director called. "Not bad. Let's go again. Page 28, from Stanley. When you're ready..."

Lily found her spot and Sebastian set himself off of her. He quickly checked the page for the first line and began, "She didn't show you no papers, no deed of sale or nothing like that, huh?"

"It seems like it wasn't sold," 'Stella' shrugged.

"Well, what in hell was it then, give away? To charity?" 'Stanley' demanded.

He was everything he had to be. Sebastian always was. Theater seemed to come so easily to him. Hell, it all did. And it made Lily envious. Acting was a trade for him, not a job. He didn't have to work at it, it just happened. He expressed so much, sometimes with so little. It was a treat to be working with him again. She had to remember that. It didn't used to be a job for her either.

"And what have we here? The treasure chest of a pirate!" Sebastian barked, miming at a dresser drawer that hadn't been filled with prop jewelry.

"Cut!" the director called. "Excellent. That was it." He turned to his PA. "Can we get Props in here? Doesn't have to be full, but give him something to play with."

Sebastian walked over to join Lily as she sat down on the undressed mattress in the middle of the stage. "You're on fire today," he noted with a smile.

"Yeah," Lily shrugged, examining a chip in her manicure. "Read the script on the plane last night."

He chuckled and shook his head, smacking the side of her calf with his rolled up script. "Smart ass," he mumbled. It got the side of her mouth to curl up briefly and that made him smile. "You still mad at me?"

Lily sighed, letting her hands fall into her lap before standing to move on with the rehearsal. "I'm not mad at you," she told him, rustling her fingers back though his hair.

Sebastian smiled, sweetly, up at her. Lily picked up her script again and parted her index finger into the pages as a bookmark. Sebastian got up from the bed and went back to the dresser.

"Sebastian," the director said, "From your line- What do we have here..."

The actors set up from where they had stopped. Sebastian opened the dresser drawer, pulling out a fist full of costume jewelry and turning back to Lily. They ran lines for the next few hours, working around the set still being built and rehashing lines to find the best version. The start of the second week and they were beginning to find their stride.


	4. Chapter 4

Sebastian watched on from a chair at the table at stage right with the rest of the poker game, admiring Lily with a thin smile as she worked this part of the scene without the script on the eighth day of rehearsals. Even a few of the Broadway vets still stole a glance here and there. There hadn't been another complaint from the director yet, but Sebastian noted the grumpy demeanor he always seemed to send Lily's way. It seemed the man was bound and determined to be harder on her than anyone else and Sebastian recalled the tirade Lily went on in her dressing room about all the misconceptions people had of her. Regardless of the treatment she was getting, Lily was impeccable.

"Blanche, this is Harold Mitchell," 'Stella' introduced. "My sister, Blanche DuBois."

"How do you do, Miss DuBois?"

"How's your mother now, Mitch?" she asked.

"About the same, thanks. She appreciated your sending over that custard...Excuse me, please."

'Mitch' left the scene to stand near Sebastian. They traded a few whispered notes for a moment as the scene beside them played on. When they were done, Sebastian turned his attention back to 'Stella' and 'Blanche'.

"Is that something much?"                   

"No. Stanley's the only one of his crowd that's likely to get anywhere."

"What makes you think Stanley will?"

"Look at him," Lily said, gesturing toward Sebastian in the next imaginary room.

Sebastian flashed a wide, smug smile and held up his hands beyond his shoulders as if what 'Stella' had said was so incredibly obvious. Lily gave him a wink and pointed a finger toward Sebastian as 'Blanche' went on and the others around the table chuckled. It was a welcomed gag for a long afternoon plagued with technical problems with the lighting and rigging. The bit of levity didn't go over well with the director who cut in mid-line.

"Come on, people," he loudly complained from his seat in the theater. "Ms. Benjamin, if you could refrain from-"

"That's me," Sebastian cut him off, straightening up in his chair and raising a guilty hand. "That was my fault. Sorry."

The director wasn't pleased to be corrected and even more disappointed, it seemed that Lily wasn't the source of the disruption. "Again," he huffed. "From Blanche- Is that something much."

The cast sniggered quietly and the ladies started again. Pages at the table flipped as the actors killed time following along to the ladies' conversation. The director had buried his nose in his copy, intently checking his notes in the margins to see that they were in line with the action he glanced up to see.

"You hens cut out that conversation in there!" 'Stanley' called from the table.

"You can't hear us," 'Stella' argued.

"Well, you can hear me and I said to hush up!" he yelled back, with a smile and holding up a shaking fist in Lily's direction, as he planted a hand into the tabletop, popping up as if he threatened to fight her or anyone else.

The poker players laughed again, this time at the comical overacting. Sebastian hung his head, leaning into the table on his hands, laughing at himself harder than anyone. The director literally dropped his script and threw up his hands. Sebastian turned to him, holding up a hand to beg for a moment to collect himself. Lily pressed her lips together tightly, hiding her smile behind the back of her fingers and eyes beginning to water at trying to hold back her laughter only for it to break free a moment later. Seeing her legitimately laugh for the first time that week broadened Sebastian's smile.

"I'm sorry," Sebastian said, as he wheezed through his laughter for a breath. "I'm sorry, but it's 6 o'clock and it's been such a long day."

"Fine," the director angrily conceded. "That's it for today. 10 a.m. tomorrow morning."

The cast broke apart on the stage, appreciative handshakes and fist bumps to Sebastian for his sense of humor and eye on the clock. He shrugged helplessly at Lily with an angelic smile. She shook her head and wagged a finger at him as he crossed the stage to meet her halfway.

"Could you stop ruining things for five minutes?" she jokingly scolded. "There's only room for one troublemaking diva in this production."

"Hey," Sebastian began, "at least I got us out of here on time."

Drew had come forward from his seat in the theater. "The car's waiting for you whenever you're ready," he told her.

"Take the car," Sebastian directed, pointing a finger down at Drew. "She's coming with me tonight."

"What?" Lily scoffed, wrinkling her face incredulously. "No. I'm just gonna-"

"Go out with me," Sebastian said for her, "eat some greasy food, and see how many more times I can get you to laugh." He turned back to Drew. "Take the car and go have a nice dinner, enjoy a night off in New York. I'll take care of her."

Drew looked up at Lily, his brow raised to patiently wait for her decision, but Lily protested further. "How come he gets a nice dinner and I get greasy food?" she asked, plaintively.

"Because he deserves a night off from putting up with you," Sebastian told her, scoffing at her with an incredulous look up and down her. "That's why."

Without missing a beat, Sebastian dipped down to pull Lily over his shoulder. Drew chuckled quietly and Lily let out a startled yelp, grabbing at the back of Sebastian's shirt to hold on. Sebastian nodded at Drew with a second promise to take care of her before walking off stage to the dressing rooms. Drew waved a smirking goodbye to Lily as the blood rushed to Lily's face, coloring her upside down cheeks and she and Sebastian disappeared off stage. Sebastian carried her down the hall and deposited her back on her feet in her dressing room.

"Get your things and let's go," he told her. "I'm starving."

Lily smoothed back her hair as the red left her face. She sighed out a laugh and found her balance. "You're an idiot," she told him.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, motioning her along. "Let's go. Come on."

She went around the room, gathering her things and twisting her hair up to hide in a loose beanie cap. "If we end up eating hotdogs I'm gonna be sorely disappointed in you," she warned him.

"Aw," he groaned in exaggerated disappointment. "I thought you liked street meat, fancy girl like you."

She coughed out a loud laugh. "Please don't ever say 'street meat' again," she said.

Sebastian caught her by the waist as she came back to the doorway. His hands on her hips to hold her back, he ducked his head to track his gaze to hers as she tried to move around him. "Baby, I'm gonna treat you to the best meal in New York City," he promised her with a playful grin.

Lily smiled, pushing him away from the door gently. "You're an idiot," she repeated, turning to look back at him as she stepped into the hall.

"You love me," Sebastian called after her before he turned around to see her again and follow her out.

"My affections notwithstanding, you're still an idiot," she assured him.

"I'm still taking that as a win," he told her as she started down the hall.

"You're- ugh," she sighed. "Fuck it."

"Ohh, I love it when you talk dirty," he growled, walking after her and giving her a quick pinch on the ass.

"Stop it," Lily told him, trying her best to frown.

"Do it again. Say something else. Say 'street meat' again," he begged.

"Oh my god!" she said loudly, failing to contain her laughter. "Stop it."

Sebastian beamed at winning her honest amusement again. "And that's twice," he pointed out proudly.

Lily followed Sebastian through the lobby and out the front doors of the theater, slipping anyone waiting at the side door and hopping a cab another block up 49th. They rode along the Manhattan rush hour traffic, finishing the trip at a pizza parlor not too far from her hotel. She laughed at him as the cab pulled away and she realized he really did mean it when he said they were eating greasy food for dinner. He pulled her inside by a firm grip on her coat sleeve as her heels scuffed stubbornly along the sidewalk and she made a small groan in protest.

"Bas, baby," she said soothingly, as he ushered her through the door, "if money's a problem, lemme take you someplace else."

He laughed and she snickered. "You're gonna apologize later when you taste this food," he promised.

It wasn't much of a wait for a table. The dinner crowd and casualness of the restaurant made for enough distractions to keep them under the radar. Jeans, scarfs, and hats kept them camouflaged well and only the waiter seemed to register who they were, or at least that someone looked familiar. Either way, their dinner was had in peace.

Sebastian teased her about Los Angeles turning her into a food snob. She strongly insinuated urban life had dulled his pallet. They ordered several desserts to go, a few faces in the restaurant seeming to start to take note of them the longer they sat at their table. Sebastian hauled the large paper bag of takeout boxes while Lily held the door to make their escape. She grinned proudly for about half a block at having escaped a public meal without a single picture being taken.

On Lily's floor at the hotel, Sebastian followed Lily to her suite. He unpacked their bag of desserts onto the kitchen counter while Lily peeked inside each of the boxes as they came out. She left him behind for a few minutes, excusing herself to deliver a box of cannoli to Drew's room. When she returned, Sebastian had made himself at home. A slice of cheesecake on a plate and balanced on one leg, he was stretched out on the chaise end of the leather couch in the living room, flipping through channels on the television.

"How's Cujo?" he asked, putting aside the remote for his dessert when she came back in.

"You're gonna run out of vicious dog names to call him," she smiled, turning in to the kitchen.

Sebastian snorted over a bite of cheesecake. "I'll come up with something," he promised.

Lily debated a moment over the dessert spread in front of her. "Would you call him Cujo to his face?" she called, settling on half of the tiramisu and half of the chocolate mousse cake.

"I would," Sebastian said, confidently.

Lily went to join him on the sofa. "Would you now?" she doubted, playfully.

"Of course," he scoffed, with an almost insulted jerk of his head. "I'm The Winter Soldier. I'm not afraid of him."

"Of course," she pouted, with a sarcastic nod of agreement.

"Are you kidding?" he laughed. "That man probably knows, like, eight ways to kill a guy with a toothpick."

"Nine, actually," she corrected before pulling a bite of tiramisu off her fork with a satisfied hum.

"See?" Sebastian nodded, ticking up his brow. "Told you you'd like it. It's good stuff, right?"

Lily nodded as she chewed. "That's good."

Sebastian reached over to pull off a bite of the cake from her plate with his own fork, despite her wide eyed, offended pout as she was rendered speechless by a mouthful of dessert. Lily slapped at his hand and he nearly lost the food from his fork. They shared a laugh, Lily hiding the food in her mouth with the back of her hand as he recovered and ate the stolen taste test fast.

"Thieving bastard," she complained. "The other half is in the kitchen."

"That is good," he noted, a hint of pleasant surprise in his tone. "You can have a bite of mine later."

"Damn right I can," she grumbled, moving on to try the mousse.

Sebastian went back to his own plate. "I told you I'd make you laugh," he reminded her.

Lily smiled at him, her head lolling to the side to look at him. "I laugh all the time," she told him.

"You fuckin' brood all the time," he argued, playfully. "You _used_ to laugh all the time."

"I used to have more time to," she said. "I squeeze it in to the schedule once in a while, here and there, whenever I can. Don't wanna blow it all at once, ya know."

"That's depressing," he smirked, shaking his head as he cut his fork into his dessert.

"Probably a little bit," she agreed.

"I like you better when you smile and laugh," he said, thoughtfully. "You should make more time for it. You'd probably like it, too."

"Probably," she said, with a chuckle. "But nobody cares if you smile anymore. Pics sell no matter what. Probably better when you don't."

"It makes you look like a bitch," he told her, raising his arm and ducking his head, anticipating a blow in admonishment.

"Thanks a lot, dick," she scoffed, with a friendly push at his shoulder.

Sebastian chuckled. "You girls think it's so overrated," he argued. "All the sexy pouts and duck faces. You're prettier when you smile."

"Hey, now," she warned. " I get a lot of mileage out of 'sexy pout'."

He laughed. "You do," he nodded. "Do you trade in your pout miles for airline tickets on your Smoldering One credit card?"

"Yeah," she nodded, the sarcasm heavy in her tone and smirk. "How do you think I got to New York?...A-hole."

Sebastian elbowed her and chuckled. "Lighten up, Benny," he said. "I kid because I love."

"You live because I let you," she winked, before the last bite if tiramisu.

A quiet chuckle shook his chest as he swallowed down some more of his dessert. He looked over at her and set his plate aside on the arm of the couch. Sebastian held open his arm and waved her over. "C'mere, you hateful little bitch," he demanded, with a coy smile and tip of his head.

Lily shook her head with a smile and inched over to rest into his side. She curled her feet up behind her and he rested his arm around her shoulders with a small squeeze.

He picked up the remote and clicked through a few channels. "Now, let's start racking up your room charges. Where's the movies?"

"You're goddam right I told him," 'Stanley' boasted, jabbing the cigarette in his hand at 'Stella'. "I'd have that on my conscience the rest of my life if I knew all that stuff and let my best friend get caught."

"Is Mitch through with her?" she asked, worry edging her voice.

'Wouldn't you be if-"

"I said, is Mitch through with her?" 'Stella' repeated, insistent for an answer.

'Stanley' glanced over at the bathroom door as 'Blanche' sang. "No," he shook his head. "I don't think he's necessarily through with her. Just wised up."

"Stanley," she complained, "she thought Mitch was- was going to marry her. I was hoping so, too."

"Well, he's not going to marry her," he declared. "Maybe he was, but he's not going to jump in a tank with a school of sharks now." 'Stanley stood up from the table and stood in front of the bathroom door. "Blanche! Oh, Blanche! Can I please get in my bathroom?"

After the pause, when 'Blanche' missed her cue, Sebastian shook his head and chuckled. The understudy had stepped in for Julie's 'Blanche' when Julie left early for a minor family emergency. The director was none too pleased with the oversight and stepped to the edge of the stage to chide the inattentive actress and AD whose whispered discussion had caused him another delay. Sebastian and the rest of the cast and crew took advantage of the break to stretch and mill about while the director carried on. Sebastian crossed back to Lily, putting his forehead down to rest on her shoulder.

"Is he still talking?" he groaned, quietly.

"He is," Lily answered, hooking a hand over the back of his neck and soothingly scratching her fingernails through the back of his hair. "My god," she mused, softly. "Can you imagine being married to this guy? Having to sleep with him?"

"No," Sebastian shook his head on her shoulder. "And I don't want to."

"With more feeling," Lily joked, in a mischievous hush. "This is your moment. Show them what you're feeling _inside_."

"Stop it," he begged through a whimpered laugh.

But Lily went on. "Yes. That's it. More feeling. Big eyes. Cue the gag."

"Dammit, Lil," he complained, stepping back and around her to find his mark at the door again. "It's in my head."

The director had called everyone back to their places, taking their cue when Sebastian was ready for his line to 'Blanche' again. The stage fell silent again. Lily watched with a grin as Sebastian opened his mouth to deliver his line and then stopped. He hung and shook his head before throwing Lily a disapproving scowl over his shoulder. He took a deep breath and started again. Lily snickered behind her script and they finished the act.

Rehearsal called for the day, Sebastian tossed his script at Lily. She turned on her toes, bringing her arms up to hide herself as the script slapped into her arm and fell at her feet. Lily laughed as Sebastian struggled against a smile, trying to come off mean.

"You know I got that fuckin' picture in my head that whole time," he complained. "And you're not even sorry I'm scarred for life."

Lily laughed. "I'm sorry," she tried, doing her best to look sympathetic.

"Paybacks are a bitch," he warned her, taking up his script from the stage floor in an exaggerated sweep of his hand.

"Bring it on, Stan," she challenged, fanning her fingers at him and offering her chin as a target. "You got nothin'."

"I'll find something," he promised, pointing his rolled up script her way. "Wait and see, princess."

The alarm clock yelled for Lily's attention. It was a long minute of music before she reached out from beneath the covers to fumble her fingers to the off switch. When the bedroom was quiet again, she hid her face into the pillow, folding the blankets overhead to ignore the sunlight spilling into the windows. A short lived relief later, there was a solid knocking at her door and Lily peeked out from the covers at the clock. The music had been playing for much longer than she thought.

"Fuck me," she mumbled, throwing aside the blankets and stuffing her feet into the fuzzy slippers at her bedside.

Shuffling through the suite, Lily ran her fingers back through her hair and tugged down her t-shirt to try and look somewhat presentable. Checking the peephole, she groaned as she saw Drew reaching down to his pocket for her room key. She opened the door, waving him inside only a fraction of a second before he would have swiped himself in to check on her.

"I know," she groaned, as way of an apology.

Drew shut and locked the door behind himself, watching Lily stretch and yawn. "You okay?"

"I didn't hear the alarm," she nodded, scratching at the back of her head. "Sorry."

"The car will be downstairs in twenty minutes," he told her. "Go get a shower and I'll start some coffee. I'll have something for breakfast for you before you're done."

With a tired sigh, Lily turned back to her room to shower. Drew went into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. Pulling the filter and grounds from yesterday's morning Joe, he stopped for a moment, frowning down at the several mini bottles of liquor lying empty on top of the trash. Hearing the shower run in the next room, Drew dumped the used grounds over the bottles. Washing out the coffee pot, he used a couple of paper towels to dry the carafe and added them to the garbage, effectively burying the bottles from view. Water filled and grounds scooped, he pulled a mug down from the cupboard to leave out with a spoon for sugar and cream and headed downstairs to grab food for Lily.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Deep into the third week of the schedule and Lily was being pinned for costumes with the other actresses back stage at the end of the day. Sebastian came in to say goodnight. He stopped in the doorway, arms crossed and leaning into the frame to listen. Ahead of him, Lily and the other girls were in varying stages of costume and street clothes, singing alone and in chorus while the seamstresses measured and hemmed.

"I'll never know what made it so exciting," Lily sang alone, hands folded by her cheek and eyes closed in a dreamy expression. "Why all at once my heart took flight." The rest of the ladies joined in again. "I- on-ly know when he,  
began to dance with me- I could have danced, danced, danced- all night!"

By the time their crescendo broke into giggling and self-appreciating applause, Sebastian was already uploading a 20 second video of the small show to his Instagram account. He came into the room, waving and smiling a cocky "hello, ladies" as the actresses settled down again.

"What are you hens up to?" he asked, taking a pin from the cushioned wrist of one of the costumers to gently poke Lily in the ass.

Lily jumped and swatted him away as he tossed the pin onto a table nearby. "You know girls and trying on outfits," she joked. "What are you doing?"

"Uploading your little performance to the Internet," he said, rather matter-of-factly, crossing his arms as he settled into an open folding chair.

There was a small collection of surprised gasps in the room and Lily's face paled. "You didn't," she insisted, her expression a mix of mortification and surprise. "Gimme your phone."

Sebastian laughed and tossed his unlocked phone her way. Lily caught it between her palms and fumbled the phone around to see what he had done. Sure enough, Instagram was open and there was a video posted tagging her and the actress playing Blanche on his page with the comment [Broadway babies in their natural environment. I got the best seat in the house @thelilyb @juliettereese]

"You son of a bitch," Lily cried foul, tossing the phone to Julie.

"I told you," he said, shrugging his shoulders and frowning innocently, "paybacks are a bitch. You never listen."

Julie played the video, her cheeks blushing as she covered a laugh with her hand. "At least we sound good," she noted, tossing the phone back to Sebastian.

"That's not even on the same level," Lily shook her head. "You can't film us during a fitting when we're goofing around."

"Well," Sebastian said, leaning his elbows into his knees, "I can. And I did. Soo..."

There was a folded couple yards of material on the table and Lily threw it at Sebastian. He ducked, catching the wad of material before it fell to the floor. He ticked his tongue and wagged his finger in disapproval at her. Lily looked for anything else to throw and Julie hurled a small pillow his way. Sebastian took his cue and rushed out of the room as the women laughed behind him.

"It did sound good, though," Julie pointed out.

"That's why he's still alive," Lily smiled, raising her arms from her sides at the direction of her seamstress.

"I want my baby down here," 'Stanley' insisted. "Stella, Stella!"

"She ain't comin' down so you quit! Or you'll git th' law on you!" 'Eunice' warned.

'Stanley' didn't care and he bellowed again. "Stella!"

"You can't beat on a woman an' then call 'er back," she scolded. "She won't come! And her goin' t' have a baby...You stinker! You whelp of a Polack, you! I hope they do haul you in and turn the fire hose on you, same as the last time"

"Eunice," he pleaded, with a new earnestness. "I want my girl to come down with me."

Eunice had none of it. "Hah!" she scoffed and slammed the door shut as she retreated inside the balcony door.

"STELLLAHHHHH!" 'Stanley's' cry split the heavens and reverberated through the theater.

The soft music of clarinets in the distance played in. The balcony door opened, 'Stella' slipping out sideways and closing the door gently behind her. She spied 'Stanley' below, looking down at him for a moment, her breath hitched and her hands clutching the halves of her closed robe. Tears welling in her eyes, she walked carefully down the rickety stairs. 'Stanley' turned to watch her come and stand before him, hands twitching and chest rising with quick breathes as they shared a long look. He pulled 'Stella' into his arms, crashing his lips into hers as they kissed passionately.

Overcome by guilt, 'Stanley' pulled away, dropping to his knees and laying his head to her belly. Looking down at him quietly with anguished love, she ran her fingers soothingly through his hair and held on to him as tightly as he clung to her. 'Stella' dipped her hand below 'Stanley's' chin, bringing him to rise to his feet. They shared an intense gaze before 'Stanley' pulled open the door and swept her up into his arms. Holding her close with his forehead pressed to hers, he carried her back inside.

Sebastian gave Lily a pat on the ass as he set her back down on her feet. She swung a scolding hand his way, but missed when he leaned away. He shooed her along and they slipped off the side of the stage into the wings while the rest of scene three went on without them.

"Jerk," she complained in a whisper, as they watched from around the corner of the set.

"Brat," he replied quietly, elbowing her arm.

Monday of the fourth week of rehearsals, the sets were built, needing little more than a bit of paint for finishing touches here and there. The lighting was set, the marks taped, and the actors in costume to begin fine tuning the wardrobe changes with the pacing of the play. With opening night barely two weeks away, inflection and phrasing choices by the actors were locking in and rehearsals were beginning to play out like a well-oiled machine.

Nagging phone calls from her management team were down to none as the director had apparently run out of things to complain about. Lily was on time, always prepared, and hit every mark and cue with precision. Sebastian's video of Lily, Julie, and the girls singing had won the admiration of the Internet. According to the coordinators behind the project, it helped rally online sales for most of the Streetcar performances within 24 hours of the video posting. She had kept herself out of the public spotlight, avoiding clubs and parties despite multiple invitations from promotors and old acquaintances. She took the occasional dinner out with Sebastian, keeping a low profile under hats and scarves, or spent quiet evenings in her suite, sometimes sharing a meal and watching a show with Drew when she was in the mood for company.

Despite the smooth routine and warm familiarity of the stage, Lily found herself feeling inexplicably low or run down now and again. A little homesick for her friends in Los Angeles one night, a general feeling of loneliness on an island packed with over a million and a half people the next. There was no one around that could shame her when she finished a bottle of wine alone or cracked open several miniature bottles of booze from the refrigerator. Housekeeping would never be able to tell the difference of whether or not she had been entertaining or drinking alone.

The fix she and her team thought she would get from the Broadway run wasn't happening anymore. Her enthusiasm for the project was still there. She was in love with the play and adored her cast mates, but something was still off. She couldn't quite right herself. She couldn't find the energy she was supposed to get back with the change in pace, style, and atmosphere of the theater. She was beginning to wonder if the rise was over for her.

The end of the scene brought the end of the night. The actors applauded each other, pleased with the day's work and how they were progressing. A few parting words and notes for the next day from the director and the PA, and everyone wondered off to change out of costume. Packing up to leave, Lily was missing the travel mug she had brought from home. Checking her dressing room again with Drew's help, she came up empty handed. Drew went to check on the car while Lily went back to the stage, thinking she had left it behind the set.

The house lights were down and the stage dimmed, save for a few low watt lights dotted around overhead. With the flashlight of her phone, Lily poked around the back of the stage for a few minutes before finding her drink. Crossing the stage, the fall of her boot heels into the wooden floor was the only noise and it echoed sharply through the theater. The sound caught her. Lily stopped, alone and center stage, she looked around.

The acoustics of the theater carried the last strike of her shoe for a second after the motion had stopped. A comfortableness and calm came to her, absorbing the absolute silence of the giant room and the odd warmth of the darkened theater. She relaxed in the stillness, turning to look out into the empty seats. A pang of weakness came over her, an emptiness inside she couldn't quite find a reason for. Setting down her purse and drink at her feet, Lily lowered herself to the floor, crossing her legs in front of her. Her fingertips traced the grain and knots of the hardwood floor beside her for a moment before she laid back. Eyes staring at the ceiling and legs stretched long, she inhaled deeply and exhaled slow.

Her few minutes of peace was interrupted by the sound of footsteps from stage right and she turned her head to see Drew coming, his approach slowing until he stopped several feet away. "You okay, Lily?" he asked, his voice purposefully low in the echoing stage.

"Fine," she nodded, turning her eyes back up.

"You need anything or want to talk?" he offered, without any pressure.

Lily shook her head with a polite, but weak, smile.

"You just need a few minutes?" he suggested, stuffing his hands in his pockets and his shoulders falling.

"Please," she said, to ask for his permission.

"I'll be at the door when you're ready," he assured her. "Take your time, kiddo."

Drew didn't expect a reply. He turned and left on his own. He didn't know exactly what the reasons were each time, but he understood when she needed to be, and could be, left alone. It probably stemmed from that pity she suspected he had for her. He talked to her some of the times she was getting near bottom. Drew had a pretty good sense of when he needed to give her a pep talk and when he didn't. She was in a safe place and he was close by. She didn't have a drink in her hand or tears in her eyes. She didn't need him yet and she didn't accept his offers early. He would just keep an eye on her until she was ready for him.

Sebastian came across Drew by the side door, with his shoulders leaned back into the wall, and staring down at the phone in his hand. Drew looked up with a polite smile at the sound of his footsteps and the plastic crackle of the water bottle Sebastian drank from. He pocketed his phone to give Sebastian his attention as the actor made his way toward the body guard.

"Good evening, Mr. Stan," Drew greeted with a nod.

"Hey, Rambo," Sebastian smiled. "Where's the princess?"

Drew smirked at the nicknames and jutted his chin towards the theater. "She's on stage."

"On stage?" Sebastian repeated, glancing back over his shoulder. "Whaddaya mean 'on stage'? We're done. Everyone's gone home."

The body guard's jaw worked forward, pushing his lips into a tight frown for a moment as he eyed Sebastian. "She's taking a break."

"From what?" he asked, his mouth ticking to the side as his brow furrowed in question.

"She just needs a few minutes to herself sometimes," Drew said. Seeing his explanation fail to resolve the question, he sighed and looked back toward the stage for a second before going on. "She's having a bit of a rough go at it lately," he admitted, figuring Sebastian was the only one he could trust to know.

Sebastian's face turned to curious concern. "What's going on? Everything's been going so well, I thought."

"Lily," Drew began then stopped, making one last assessment of Sebastian's trustworthiness. "She has these bad days sometimes, gets a little down. I don't know why, but gets into this rut for a while."

"You couldn't tell," Sebastian noted. "She's been flawless."

"Yeah, well, the acting's never been the problem," Drew conceded with a cock of his head as he pocketed his hands. "It's when she's in her own head. It's nothing you could ever pin down to say she needed to talk to someone or anything, but she just kinda shuts down, keeps people out."

"So, what?" Sebastian pressed with a casual shrug. "Like, she doesn't talk to you or something?"

"More like she shuts herself up in her room with old man Jameson or a bottle of wine, depending on the mood," he corrected, quietly.

Sebastian's head ticked back, a mix of surprise and disbelief. "You're saying she has a drinking problem?" he quietly tried to clarify.

Drew shook his head. "No," he said, pretty confidently. "Lily doesn't really keep anything around the house, pretty much just has a cocktail or two at clubs and events for the last few years. But she'll numb out every once in a while on her own, if the press or her people are riding her too hard. She doesn't do it often, but she's done it since she's been here. I'm sure she wouldn't think anyone would notice, but I pay attention to her. I see the trash cans in the room. She, uh, she's had a few nights this last couple weeks...You know, she's never really been what they say she is. Never given me any trouble or reasons to worry about her before, but...Well, I'd say I'm starting to worry just a bit. Something's not right this trip."

Sebastian took a deep breath and felt himself relax from a tension he hadn't realized was there. "So, who else knows?"

"Just you and me, sir," Drew said with a nod. He straightened up off the wall, his strong shoulders widening as he took his own breath. "It's my job to keep her safe," he went on. "She's not a danger to herself or anything, but I think she might be slipping and I don't wanna see her fall. Lily doesn't trust many people. I'm telling you because I think you're on the short list she does and the only other person she's got out here. Maybe just go talk to her. She doesn't listen to me the same way she listens to you."

Sebastian looked back at the stage and back to Drew. "Think she'll be mad at you for telling me?"

"Oh, yeah," he assured him, with a chuckle and a wide, confident grin. "She'll be pissed at me for a while." He shrugged. "But it never lasts too long. She knows why I do what I do."

Sebastian nodded thoughtfully. He gave Drew a pat on the arm before he turned to head back to the stage. He didn't know what to say, but figured he'd wing it and see what happened. He stepped lightly into the wing of the stage, taking in the sight of Lily lying in the middle of the old wood floor. He looked around to see if anyone was about and stepped out on the stage when he was sure everyone had gone or, at least, wasn't nearby.

"Hey, beautiful," he smiled, walking over to stand by her side and look down at her. He noted the tired smile she gave him. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Just...resting for a minute," she said. "Long day."

Sebastian nodded, taking a look across the seating to see no one was there either before settling down on the floor beside her. "Quiet place for a rest," he noted, setting his drink aside, bending up his knees, and belting his arms around them.

"Yeah," she agreed, checking her watch. Lily sat up, pulling her purse to her before she stood up, announcing, "I should get going."

"Where do you have to go?" he asked, his head turning to watch her pick up her drink and start toward the exit.

"Drew's waiting," she explained, stopping mid-stride to look at him as she spoke.

Sebastian stretched out, folding his right leg comfortably under his left and held out his hand to her. "Come here for a minute," he invited. When she didn't budge and looked at the time again, he curled his finger impatiently at her and said it a second time.

She rolled her eyes, begrudgingly asking, "What?" as she stepped back.

"I want my baby down here," he said, smiling Stanley's line to her and grabbing her hand when she was close enough.

Lily smiled, putting down her things and sitting back down on the floor beside him. "Now what?" she asked, raising her hands then letting them flop down into her cross legged lap.

"Now, just sit here with me," he told her, picking her hand out of her lap to hold in his.

They sat there for a peaceful minute before Lily spoke up. "Drew's waiting," she reminded him.

"He can wait. He won't go anywhere without you," Sebastian assured her, keeping her hand when she tried to start to leave again. "He thought you could use some company."

"Why'd he say that?" she asked, barely masking the mild defensiveness of the question.

"He's just worried about you," Sebastian told her. "Says you haven't been yourself lately."

Lily tittered quietly. "He did, did he?"

"Everything alright, Lil?" he asked, watching as he folded his thumb over hers. "You seem a little down."

"I'm fine," she promised, giving him a grin.

"Would you tell me if you weren't?" he asked, tucking his chin down to look at her when she ducked her head and the grin slipped away. Sebastian let go of her hand and hooked his arm to hang loosely around her neck. "I'm your friend, Lil," he reminded her. "Maybe we lost track here and there, but you've been one 'a my best friends for years. You can tell me."

"Nobody wants to hear me complain," she told him, a poor attempt at a confident smile turning up the corners of her mouth. "Christ, even I hate the sound of my own voice when I do."

Sebastian's own smile did little to hide his disappointment at her response. He bent his arm, pulling her to lean into his side and she laid her head on his shoulder. Tilting his head onto hers, he wrapped his other arm across the front of her shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze when she hooked a hand to hang from his forearm.

"I love to hear your voice," he told her, confidently. "I don't care what you're doing with it. You could read the Manhattan phone book, for all I care. I'd pay money for it." He felt the tiny shake in her body from a soft, snorting laugh. "I'll give you twenty bucks, right now, to read the label on my bottle of water."

"Don't be a dick," she playfully scolded him, nudging her elbow into his side.

"I'm not," he insisted. Sebastian straightened up, turning his face to look at her, even though she didn't look at him. "What was that song?"

"What song?"

"That song you sang," he went on, trying to find the words on the tip of his tongue or lead the answer from her. "You did it at the camp for the kids. That one you said your mom always liked and you used it for your audition piece for Baz. It was in Spanish or something."

"In Italian," she corrected, shaking her head against his shoulder.

"That song is my favorite sound I ever heard your voice make," he admitted. "Lemme hear it."

"No," she scoffed, sitting up again and giving him a skeptical look.

"Why not?" Sebastian asked, a bit surprised and disappointed by the refusal. "You love to sing. You used to sing the shit outta the radio in LA. You sang with Jules and the girls last week. How come I don't get somethin'?"

"You can't jus- This isn't a good time," she shrugged, thumbing open the lid of her mug for a drink.

"Tomorrow then?" he suggested. "When's a better time? I'll be there."

Lily laughed finally, giving him another elbow. "Ass," she grumbled with a grin.

Sebastian looked around. "You can't tell me there's a better time or place than this," he insisted.

Sebastian stood up and dusted off the back of his jeans in the few steps it took to get to the end of the stage. Planting a hand on the edge, he dropped from the stage down to the audience level and took a seat in the middle of the front row. He said nothing for a moment, but stared at her, his brow raised expectantly.

"Well? I'm waiting. C'mon Benny," he prompted, holding his arms out wide. "The sound in this place is amazing."

Lily laughed again, shaking her head at him. "I'm not gonna- No."

"Well, I mean, if you can't," he insinuated, with a dismissive shrug. "If you've lost it or can't remember..."

"Oh, I remember," she assured him, flipping him off.

He was a pain in the ass. He knew her too well and knew how to egg her on. Lily drew her feet closer, curling her hands over her shins. She shook her head stubbornly.

"A thousand bucks," he offered, with a cocky smile on the side of his lips.

A small laugh finally escaped Lily. "You couldn't pay me enough," she doubted.

"A thousand bucks worth of tickets for the show," Sebastian countered. "I'll buy out the first matinee and send the tickets to Applause for the kids to come."

"That's not fair," she complained, grimacing and gesturing an offended hand out toward him.

"We're not leaving till I get what I want," he warned, cocking up one eyebrow and shaking his head. "Let me have it."

"That's playing so fuckin' dirty, and you know it," she told him.

"That's not Italian," he pointed out, his brow rising with his let down sigh. "Do it for the children," he pleaded and waited. He gestured for her to go on and prodded, "You want me to hum a few bars?"

Lily's lips puckered tight against a smile as she tried to hate him. She let out a resigned sigh, shaking her head as the words came softly, "Time to say goodbye. Paesi che non ho mai veduto e vissuto con te, adesso si li vivrò."

Sebastian's face lit up, his smile slacking open and his eyes wide. Lily wasn't a classically trained diva, but her voice lessons payed dividends on screen, and, now, here in front of him again. The dulcet, warm tones of her voice melted off the stage and into the shell of the silent theater. He admired her as she sang, the rise and fall of the sound, the meticulous pronunciation, and the feeling the melody sent out. So natural and powerful a performance, all from the girl folded so small on the floor in the middle of the stage who looked at her lap instead of at her audience. Sebastian's phone was out without a second of hesitation.

"Con te partirò su navi per mari che, io lo so, no, no, non esistono più, con te io li rivivrò. Con te partirò su navi per mari che, io lo so, no, no, non esistono più, con te io li rivivrò. Con te partirò." Her shoulders rose with a breath. "Io con te."

The crescendo faded slowly, pulled into the walls of the theater with the other memories of great performances before hers. Sebastian was still for a moment before he pocketed his phone, taking in the show he'd coaxed out of her. The couple verses she graced him with demanded his appreciation and he stood up gladly to applaud her.

Lily looked up and out into the theater, smiling bashfully before she bent forward into her lap with laughter. She covered her head with her hands while Sebastian clapped and whistled through his teeth. She sat back up, tucking her hair behind her ears and eyes red with embarrassment overtaking her sense of humor at herself. Sebastian leapt back onto the stage, rushing forward and sliding to a stop on his knees beside her to wrap her up in a smothering hug that toppled them both down on the stage.

"Ah, bellisimo!" he cheered, planting a kiss on top of her head in a rolling hug, as she tried to hide from him. "Brava! Brava!"

Lily pushed him off of her, sitting up and smoothing her hair back into place again. "Happy now?" she smiled, her shyness slow to disappear.

"You have no idea," he said, pushing back at her. Sebastian stood, holding down a hand to pull her to her feet. "Let's go have dinner."

"I'm not hungry," she said, dismissively. "I just want to go home."

"Then watch me eat," Sebastian countered, arm around Lily's waist as he led her off stage. "Hang out with me tonight."

"Maybe just a bite," she conceded, when they came to the stage door.

Sebastian hit the back of his hand into Drew's arm as he went out the door. "Did ya hear that?" he proudly asked, inclining his head back toward the stage.

"I did," Drew nodded, reciprocating Sebastian's smile. He held the door open ahead of his charge, giving her a kind smile as she passed him. "It was perfect."


	6. Chapter 6

Nestled into the plush couch in Sebastian's Tribeca apartment, Lily scanned the city view outside the tall windows. Sebastian absentmindedly shuffled about, between the living room and kitchen, on the phone with the theater's box office manager. He kept his promise and bought the remaining seats for the Sunday afternoon show for the small acting school. She sipped at her after dinner cup of coffee and scrolled through her emails on her phone, while Sebastian made a pair of phone calls to get his people to finish arrangements for the school to be notified and tickets to be delivered. Sebastian's smile beamed as he got off the phone and joined Lily on the couch with a satisfied exhale as he fell into the cushions.

"You're pretty proud of yourself, aren't you?" she asked, giving him a smirking once over.

"Every damn day," he said, smugly.

They shared a laugh and Lily shook his head. "You're the devil, Mr. Stan," she noted. "Blackmailing people for your entertainment."

"For the children's entertainment," he corrected.

"Ahh," she nodded. "Of course, for the children."

Lily went back to her coffee and the room was quiet for a moment. Sebastian gave her a quick look from the side of his eye. She seemed better. She didn't seem tired liked she'd looked before. There wasn't as much as there was during rehearsal, but there was still laughter and smiles. She was the Lily he knew. The one Drew told him about seemed to have faded away, but he was still curious about what he heard.

"So, what's going on, Lil?" Sebastian asked, wiggling his shoulders into the couch cushion behind him to get comfortable.

"What do you mean?" she shook her head out of curiosity.

"Your...mood, or whatever, lately," he elaborated. "Drew says you-"

"Drew says?" Lily parroted, quirking up her brow. "What does Drew say?"

Sebastian's lips pursed as he shrugged, trying to keep the conversation casual, but determined to hear her version. "He says he worries about you being alone so much while you're here."

"But I'm not," Lily smiled, leaning over with a wink to nudge his arm with her elbow. "I'm here with you."

Her maneuver was cute enough to earn a quick grin and soft push back at her shoulder. "Tonight you are," he pointed out. "I'm pretty sure he meant the nights you're not with me."

Lily shrugged. "I'm here working. This isn't a vacation." A coy smile curled up the side of her mouth. "Should I go tear up the clubs and set the city aflame, or should I read my script notes and memorize lines like a good girl?"

"Is that what you do at night?" he asked, running out of ways to skirt around possibly hurting her feelings or making her mad.

"Mostly," she shrugged again. "Some nights I hang out with you, some with Drew, but, yeah. I want the play to do well."

She wasn't going to fall for it. Maybe she knew what he was hinting at. Maybe she was oblivious to what he and Drew knew about her. Either way, she was managing to hold him off with seemingly little effort or concern. Sebastian swallowed and gave himself a small shake of his head as he went for broke.

"You like to drink when you read your notes?" he asked.

There wasn't much softness to the question. Its point pricked Lily and she stiffened slightly. So, that's what he meant. Was that what Drew had told him? She played it off with a thin smile.

"I have been known to indulge in an adult beverage with dinner here or there," she said, playfully dismissive.

"I think we both know I'm not talking about a glass of wine at dinner, Lil," he dryly hinted.

"What _are_ we talking about then?" she sarcastically begged his indulgence, turning in her seat to face him and lean her head onto her fist bent up on the back of the couch. "Hm? 'Cause it sounds like you're accusing me of something, but you haven't finished yet."

Sebastian's mouth gaped and eyes rolled in mild exasperation. "Lil," he half groaned, "I'm not accusing you o-"

"Really?" she asked, her tone perking up in unhappy jest and hand falling along the back of the couch. "Because it sure as hell sounds like you or Drew, or both of you, have come up with this idea that I'm some sort of recluse alc-"

Why had this become a catty argument? Sebastian put up a hand to stop her and grimaced his displeasure at her, interrupting, "For fuck's sake, Lily. Calm down and let me finish."

Lily huffed quietly. She settled back against the arm of the couch behind her. Sebastian studied her for a quiet moment from the side of half-glaring eyes. When he didn't speak right away, she raised her eyebrows expectantly and gestured a hand out before her for him to go on.

He twisted in his seat to see her and said, "Benny, nobody's accusing you of anything. You got a guilty conscience? Fine. All I'm asking is, is there something we should worry about? Something we should know? Because Drew says he's seen the bottles in-"

"Oh, come on," Lily griped.

"God dammit, Lily," he bit back. "For five minutes, will you just once, let someone talk to you?!"

"This is ridiculous," she groaned, shaking her head with a disbelieving smile to the ceiling.

"It's not, if there's something going on we should know about," he insisted.

"'We'?" she repeated, still smiling. "What are _we_ so worried about? What does _we_ think I'm doing wrong this time?"

He shot her a dirty look, his irritation beginning to boil. "Christ, Lily," he snapped, harder than he intended to, and backed down. "Nobody says you're doing anything wrong. I'm saying, maybe you're not yourself, that something's bothering you."

"What's bothering me?" she invited, a patient but mocking grin on her face.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But something sounds wrong." Sebastian bit at his lip for a moment, eyes running over her once. "Why do you do that? Why do you get so pissy when someone tries to help you?"

"Nobody tries to help me," she snorted. "Everybody's just along for the ride, waiting to see when this shit show's gonna crash."

"It's not like that," he scolded her. "It's okay for people to care about you and want to help."

"Help with what?" she asked. "Everything's going so well. I'm headlining a Broadway play for a charitable cause, I'm worth over a hundred and seventy five million, I've got shelves full of awards, two homes in California. You said so yourself, I'm the reigning 'it' girl for over a decade. What about any of that sounds wrong?"

Sebastian fought the urge to just flip her off for her arrogance and walk away. "You're such a pain in the ass," he grumbled, straightening up in his seat a bit. "If any of that really made you happy you wouldn't be sitting alone in a hotel room getting drunk every other night."

An angry heat rose and colored Lily's neck and cheeks. "Fuck you," she bit. "You don't know-"

"What I'm talking about?" he hotly finished for her. "What it's like? How hard it is to be you?" The rapid fire shushed Lily into a scowl. "Ya know, for a girl who doesn't have anything to complain about, you sure do bitch about it a lot."

"Listen here, you lit-"

"No," he insisted, "you listen...Damn it, Lil. You're not gonna make me feel bad for giving a shit about you." He wiped a hand down his face, pushing his palm back along his cheek to run his hand through his hair and inhaling to calm down before scooting close enough to take her hand and going on. "Benny, I just want you to be happy. If you're bored, call me. We'll talk, go out, whatever you wanna do. If you're lonely, I'll come over or you come see me. You just tell me what to do. But, don't shut out the people who care about you. Talk to me."

Lily's expression softened listening to his earnest voice and looking in his worried eyes. She let out a small sigh of resignation, despite the aggravation she still felt. She hated him sometimes for how honest and good he seemed. At the same time, she loved him for it.

"I don't know," she reluctantly admitted, after a pause between them.

"Don't know what?" he encouraged, folding both his hands around the one he held.

She took in the warmth and kindness of his touch, staring down at her hand in his. It made her feel a bit weak. Weak was a thing she didn't like to be. Insecure, scared, self-conscious, lost, judged, distrustful. The list of things she hated to be was long lately. At the top of the list would be lonely and scared.

She wasn't sure what the reason was, but, lately, Lily wanted desperately to speak to her mother. To tell her about rehearsals, about the actors she was working with, about the little ticks she tried to give 'Stella' to make her her own. She wanted to tell her about the worries she had about the play. How she was afraid she couldn't do the part justice, that she would let everyone, but most importantly her, down. Streetcar had been one of her mother's favorite movies and Kim Hunter's 'Stella', her favorite character. She had been so delighted to see Lily on stage at NYU as Blanche, lavishing her with encouragement over the phone when the show was rehearsing and showering her with praise when the curtain fell. Now, back on a New York stage with this show, she was terrified. Every day closer to opening night made her more and more afraid of somehow disappointing her mother's memory. The anxiety made it hard to fall asleep sometimes. The alcohol helped remedy the problem.

"I don't know what's wrong with me." she said. "Why isn't all that enough to make me happy?"

Sebastian frowned, shaking his head. "I don't know either," he said. "What about it makes you _un_ happy?"

It took Lily a minute to answer. "I want-" She stopped, her eyes taking a look around Sebastian's apartment for a hint, strength, something. "I don't want to let people down."

"Who would you let down?"

"I let everyone down," she breathed out, like a weight had been set on her chest.

"You never let me down," he promised, with a soft smile.

"I do," she insisted. "I miss things. I miss _good_ things. Things with friends I'm supposed to share, that they expect me for. I'm not there for them like I'm supposed to be because I'm everywhere else. Because someone else is always telling me what to do. And if I'm not there, how can I expect anyone else to be?"

"The real ones will be," he assured her. "The ones who understand what you do for a living and know who you really are, they will."

"It's not just them," Lily shook her head. "My people, the studios, this production, Drew...everybody. They're already disappointed."

"I'm not disappointed," he noted, straightening his shoulders a bit. "I never am. Drew's not. And the show? Nobody's even seen it yet. Who could be disappointed?"

"None of its ever good enough," she argued. "Not good enough to stay out of the papers. Not good enough for that Oscar. There's always something. And this? It's the same. Good, but she did it better. I can't do it as good as her."

"As good as who?" he asked, making a sour face. "You've got more awards than you know what to do with."

"Kim Hunter, that's who," Lily said.

Sebastian scoffed with a smile. "Kim Hunter? Is that it? Why would you even-"

"Because 'Stella' is hers," she interrupted, hotly. Lily took a breath. "Because she _is_ 'Stella'. She's the measure, what everyone expects, and I don't want to let-...God. You know, my mom loved that movie? I don't know how many times we watched it when I was growing up. Whenever it was on TV, if there was a classic movie run at a theater. VHS; practically broke the tape on that one...How am I supposed to live up to that?"

"Aw, Lil," he frowned. "You can't be Kim Hunter." Sebastian grimaced at seeing Lily's eyes turn down and redden. "You don't have to be. You're already better than her." He gave her hand a squeeze with his, giving up his two hand hold to rest a reassuring hand on her knee. "Fuck knows I'm no Brando, but these people are ours now. Screw Brando and Hunter. If she liked Kim, your mom would be in love with your 'Stella'." He saw a tear escape down Lily's cheek and moved close enough to pull her to his shoulder for an embrace. "It's night and day. You can't compare the two, Lil. She gets rewrites and takes and someone telling how to do it till they get what they want out of it. You get to give them something a little different every night, if you want to. That's what makes yours better. It's up to you who 'Stella' is now and she's fantastic. You know how great it is going to work every day and getting to see you be 'Stella'? It's fuckin' amazing. She'd be proud, Lil. She'd be as stunned by you as the rest of us."

Back on set the next morning, the air around Lily seemed heavy, a little too thick to breath sometimes in the breaks between her lines and time on stage. She had stayed the night at Sebastian's apartment, curled up under a blanket on his couch, head resting on his hip while he stretched out to the coffee table and kept a grounding hand on her shoulder. The alarm on Sebastian's phone woke them for work. Sometime overnight, Sebastian had used Lily's phone to tell Drew where they were and he met her at Sebastian's Tribeca apartment with coffee and breakfast from Starbucks and a change of clothes to take her to rehearsals.

There was a break between the second and third acts. The cast took a seat in the theater seating and the AD used the time to go over the preview night for the press, laying schedules for cast interviews and giving a few guidelines for talking points if there were vague requests for them to just "talk about the show". During the meeting, Lily retreated to the seating in the back of the group beside Drew. Afterward, a thirty minute break was called as the director already had a short interview scheduled ahead of the press event.

Lily didn't get up when the others broke apart. Sebastian gave her a look, checking to see if she would follow, but she didn't budge. Instead, she folded the loose material of her costume's skirt in between her fingers and thoughtfully ran her tongue over her teeth behind her lips while she waited.

"You alright, kiddo?" Drew asked, careful not to let the echo of the theater find his question. "Not taking the break?"

"No," she said, looking up and turning in her seat to face him. "I want to apologize."

"For what?" he scoffed, with a short laugh.

"For being such a pain in the ass lately," Lily told him. "I know what you told Sebastian about me yesterday."

"Look, Lily," he began, straightening up in his seat, "I know you don't like people in your business-"

"No" she interrupted, "I don't." She sighed. "But I know why you are. You're just doing your job, or whatever, and I appreciate it. I don't give you enough credit for all the shit you keep me out of. I just want you to know, I'm sorry for being so much trouble and I'm gonna do better."

"You're not doing bad now," he assured her. "I'm just trying to stay ahead of it for you."

"You don't have to," Lily shook her head.

"All due respect, Ms. Benjamin," Drew said. "You may give a guy some pretty bad headaches sometimes, but you're not any trouble. I see how they give it to you. It's not all fair. It's gotta be hard, but you're still holding it together better than some people I've seen. I just don't wanna see you slip up, and if that means I gotta step on your toes and privacy sometimes," Drew shrugged, "then that's what I gotta do. But I'm going to do it as discretely as possible as long as I can. You just keep me in the loop, tell me when it's too much or whatever. I'll do my best to protect you. You know I'd go to war for ya."

"I don't pay you enough, do I?" Lily smiled, a bit embarrassed.

"I'm skimming off the travel expanse budget," he winked. "So, I'm doing pretty alright for myself."

Lily laughed with a nod. "I won't report you. You deserve a bonus." Lily held out her hand to shake. "You're a good man, Charlie Brown. Don't know what I'd do without you."

Drew gave her hand a firm shake. "You're alright, kid," he smiled. "If you weren't my boss, I'd call you my friend and buy you a beer or three."

Pulling a knee under her to climb over the arm of the theater seats to hug her arms around Drew's neck, Lily pressed her head down to the back of his shoulder. "When this show is done, you and me are getting so wasted," she promised. "I'm buyin'!"

"I'll drink to that," Drew laughed, patting a hand on her arm.

Lily sat back on her heels in her own seat again. "But till then," she said, raising her hand in a vow, "I'm off the sauce. I'm gonna do some things different. I'll be good and you don't have to worry about me."

"You pay me to worry," he shrugged.

"Well, then, I'll spare you a few grey hairs," Lily suggested.

"You're the reason I keep my hair short," Drew pointed out. "So no one can see my premature greying from the last six years."

"I'll get you the number for my colorist," Lily smiled. "Get that covered up anytime you like."


	7. Chapter 7

After their talk at Sebastian's apartment, Lily didn't have time to be alone. She took to morning jogs in Central Park with Drew, something she hadn't made time for in awhile. She and Sebastian had plans every night after the fourth week's rehearsals. A casual dinner out with Lily and Drew for pizza in Midtown before a couple hours at a karaoke bar, a crowded showing of the latest superhero movie, and Chinese takeout ordered in at Sebastian's place. Drew entrusted Lily to Sebastian's watch for a long Saturday afternoon spent over the paper food boxes and chopsticks after a walk around the neighborhood and a coffee break at Starbucks.

Dropping the last dumpling in his mouth and putting down an empty box on the coffee table, Sebastian turned to Lily, asking as he chewed, "So how's today treating you?"

"Tell me you didn't lure me back to your apartment for another rendition of 'what's wrong with Lily'," she groaned, with a drawn out roll of her eyes as she set aside her styrofoam cup of egg drop soup.

"I'm just checking in with you," he explained, with a harmless raise of his shoulders and holding up a palm.

"I'm fine," she smirked. "You don't have to walk around on eggshells or whatever you're doing."

"I'm just making conversation," he said. "Besides, with you, it's more like walking on hot coals."

"Are we gonna talk about my resting bitch face again?" she quipped, arching up an eyebrow. "Can I listen to you preach the virtues of behaving for the press and public? Whatcha got this time?"

"How about a pep talk?" he mused, with a smile. "A 'why I love Lily Benjamin'."

"Did you write me creepy stalker fan mail?" she jokingly wondered, before clasping her hands under her chin and crushing her eyes closed in prayer. "Please be creepy stalker fan mail."

"Not quite. Here. How 'bout this?" he said, stepping over to grab his phone off the table and thumbing to open up his videos. "Look at that." He held out the phone for her to take.

Lily gave him a sarcastic scowl. "It's kinda 'creepy stalker'," Lily playfully noted. "You need to quit filming people without their permission."

Sebastian fell back into the couch beside her, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. Pointing to the screen, he smiled and asked, "Who is that girl? When have you ever been so small?"

Lily shrugged, not knowing what he meant. She handed back his phone without playing the video. "She looks a little bullied into singing," Lily mocked.

"No. Not that. You were larger than life when I met you," he reminded her, with an admiring smile at the screen before setting the phone on the arm of the couch. "You still are. I see it. But, ya know what? I see that girl too. How many people get to know _that_ Lily? You're so many things. And they're all incredible. If me and Drew can see that, why don't you?"

"Really, I'm not sure what you're talking about," she told him.

"About it all, Lil," he swept his hand out. "The stuff in the press, the attitude at rehearsals. This-" Sebastian frowned and raised his brow, searching for the words as he inhaled deeply. "This image that you have now, the Hollywood bad girl flipping people off. Some sullen, arrogant thing who can't be bothered to smile or greet her fans. That's not you. How did that happen? What did they do to you?"

A wounded frown crossed her face and she shook her head, small and at herself. "It's easier to just be too busy to bother."

"It looks exhausting," he noted, stretching his arm along the back of the couch. "I meant what I said, that maybe you should stay in New York for a while when the show is done. I think you need a vacation."

Lily snickered. "I'll see if my assistant can pencil one in."

"I'm serious," he assured her. "I know a guy with a house up in Montauk, on the beach."

"It's too cold for the beach," Lily reminded him.

"Not for bonfires and Fireball," he countered, with a smirk.

"Bonfires and Fireball?" she laughed, shaking her head. "It's like you know me."

"I know you," he promised, with a sure nod. "What was the name of that beach we watched that Christmas tree burn?"

"Dockweiler," she nodded, with a fond smile.

" _That_ was a fun night," Sebastian noted, with an emphatic nod and wide eyes.

"That was some serious fun," she agreed, still smiling.

"That's what you need to do," he suggested.

"Set a dried out Christmas tree on fire?" Lily asked.

"Almost," he said, holding up his hand and pointing a finger. "Maybe." Sebastian scratched at the back of his head before his hand and head fell back to the couch and he lolled over to the side to look at her. "Montauk," he said. "Let's do it. You and me, bring up Drew and whoever else. Let's just fuckin' get outta town and hide and blow off some steam. Bet we find that girl again."

"What girl?" Lily shook her head.

"That girl," Sebastian began, pointing over at his phone. "That graceful and sweet, shy one, who's sarcastic and funny and sings and dances...she's still in there somewhere, right?" A shrug from Lily moved him to give her a nudge. "God, I hope she is," he sighed. "Haven't seen her in years."

"She's still around," Lily smiled, thoughtfully. "She just doesn't get out much"

"Well, tell her to come by more often," he playfully demanded, giving Lily a small shove. "I want her back. 'Cause that girl is amazing. She's radiant and she's beautiful. She can make a whole room come alive, just walking in the door. You ever start to forget that, you let me know. I won't let you forget."

"I'll let you know," she agreed, ducking her head with a shy smile.

Sebastian leaned over, falling into a bear hug around Lily's shoulders. "We're going to Montauk," he decided. "Kick and scream all you want. No one'll hear you in the trunk of the car."

"You're going to kidnap me?" Lily scoffed, pinching his arm in protest.

"If I have to," he nodded, letting her go and pushing his hair out of his face.

"I'll see what I can do," she conceded.

"I'm gonna call and get the house for when the show closes," he told her, pointing a finger at her face. "You're going."

The fifth week of rehearsals had Monday morning set aside for the press. Thursday afternoon, the company would preview the show for a number of journalists before it opened to the public a week and a half later. The PR for the project was being handled meticulously and was working its way to a sellout for all of the shows under its umbrella. Lily was nestled into the corner of the couch in her dressing room, one knee tucked up to rest her elbow propping her head up and a tall cup of coffee in her other hand. It was a long morning.

"It's been three and a half years since you did theater," the interviewer noted. "There's been no shortage of screen offers. Why come back to the stage? Why New York? Why now?"

Lily smiled. "Who could say 'no' to this? To be invited to work on this production, in this beautiful theater, with this amazing cast, for such a wonderful cause. I'm honored to be a part of it."

"It's been suggested that you were sent here to kind of reign in some bad behavior," the reporter said. "There've been some rumors about tensions during rehearsals with the director and-"

"Nothing sells a good drama like drama," Lily quipped, a charming smile fixed across her lips to help curb the question. "I think there are always some growing pains when new people meet and work together for the first time, but I think everyone's going to be really pleased with what we've all put together. I couldn't be happier with the way the show's come together. I think it'll come through to the audience as well."

"So, the rumors of LA style tantrums and storming off set?" he pressed on. 

She waved a casually dismissive hand. "Misunderstandings and miscommunications," she shook her head, with an easy smile. "I'm thrilled to be here. I couldn't be happier with the cast and crew I'm working with. 'Streetcar' has always had a special place in my heart and I want to give it all the respect and energy it deserves. This show's really gonna be something and I think it's the start of a new tradition for theater in New York City. Wasting time on gossip and rumors is an injustice to what's really going on here."

A smile tugged back the corner of the journalist's mouth and it seemed she had successfully thrown him off the topic of her less professional moments with the show. Lily smiled and nodded through another ten minutes of questions from the reporter from the Times. When it was over, she shook his hand, graciously insisting she thank him for _his_ time as she walked him to the door. She shut herself back in her dressing room and laid out along the couch with her feet on the floor, arm under her head, and a long exhale before she called for whomever made the knock at her door to come in.

Sebastian slid through the door with an energetic smile. Closing the door behind him, he made his way across the room to sit on the floor beside the couch, his left arm folded to pillow his chin on Lily's hip. Lily gave him a tired smile and patted his head like an obedient puppy till he swatted her away and she laughed.

"Are you done yet?" Sebastian asked.

Lily shook her head. "Two more after lunch." She pouted thoughtfully. "Unless I run away first," she considered.

"Don't do that," he chided her. "'Cause then I'd have to follow and the whole thing would come crashing down behind us."

"I thought we were running away to Montauk?" she reminded him.

He nodded and raised a finger for her patience. " _After_ the show."

"Ohhh, _after_ the show," she playfully realized. "Well...shit." They shared a small laugh and Lily folded her other arm behind her. "How's the morning been for you?"

"I'm done," he shrugged. "Can't complain too much. Few people digging around about you and any tidbits about your diva-ish behavior."

"Oh, yeah?" Lily questioned, her eyebrows raised with interest. "What'd ya tell 'em?"

"How much of a bitch you are," Sebastian deadpanned. "How you're constantly degrading the other actors, mouthing off at the director. Oh! I told them about you trashing your dressing room and setting the garbage can on fire. They loved that one."

"You're too kind," she smiled, affectionately ruffling her fingers in his hair.

"Nah," he said, leaning out of her reach. "You know you've got nothing to worry about from us. There's no story here."

"Guess we'll see how they write it up after the preview," Lily shrugged.

"It'll be fine," Sebastian reassured her. "Everyone loves you."

"And you're standing there smiling!" 'Blanche scoffed, running a disbelieving hand up toward 'Stella'.

"What do you want me to do?" 'Stella' asked, rather indifferent.

"Pull yourself together and face the facts," 'Blanche' demanded.

'Stella' shook her head and gestured 'Blanche' to continue. "What are they, in your opinion?"

"In my opinion?" 'Blanche parroted, eyeing her sister before going on. "You're married to a madman!" 

"No," 'Stella shook her head, a smile that said she knew better on her lips.

"Yes, you are," 'Blanche' insisted. "Your fix is worse than mine is! Only you're not being sensible about it. I'm going to do something. Get a hold of myself and make myself a new life."

Sebastian watched on from the wing of the stage. Lily and Juliette bickered on, Lily beginning to fuss around to tidy up the apartment from the scene before. Beside him, someone nudged Sebastian and handed him a tablet. The AD whispered one of the interviewers had gone to print ahead of the preview. Sebastian nodded, taking the iPad to skim over.

"...Lily Benjamin and Sebastian Stan join seasoned Broadway veterans Juliette Reese-...Stan's first full Broadway production since his run as Hal Carter in Picnic (2013)...co-star Lilian Benjamin, who brings over 20 years of award winning acting credentials to the roll of Stella, has enough theater experience on her resume to make her at home on the Ambassador’s storied stage...despite rumors swirling of clashing personalities within the production, I was genuinely surprised by the cohesion and support the cast has for one another...mutual respect of the experiences each player brings to their roles...delightful mix of professionalism and family that's often times hard to come by with such short term projects...Whether or not 'A Streetcar Named Desire' will be the crowning jewel of this latest arts endeavor that it looks to be remains to be seen. Other big name stars appearing in the multi-show event include-"

Sebastian smiled, handing over the device before he could finish. He exchanged an approving nod with the assistant director before turning back to the scene on stage. He watched 'Stella' and 'Blanche' carry on about money and men. The sampler of the cast interviews had been favorable of the show and he was grateful the writer had been kind to Lily. It wasn't that he worried she couldn't stand criticism. He was pleased a reporter had made their own opinion instead of rehashing what others have been exaggerating. She deserved a little optimism from the world.

"But there are things that happen between a man and a woman in the dark, that sort of make everything else seem – unimportant," 'Stella' said.

Sebastian smiled with a soft snort, proud of Lily's 'Stella'. He squared himself, watching and listening, waiting for his cue as Props handed him his packages. The sound of a train began to rumble in and Sebastian moved for his mark under the cover of the sound as the women paused at the noise. 

"Did you see the write up from the guy in the Times?" Sebastian asked, walking with Lily and Julie off stage.

"I haven't, no," Julie said, as Lily shook her head.

"It's a little bit of alright," Sebastian happily noted. "He's excited about the show. Gave everyone high marks."

"That's a pleasant surprise," Julie smiled. "He's usually kind of a snobby ass. Must be all the Hollywood charm in this one.“ Julie nudged Lily's arm and they both shared a laugh.

"It's probably Sebastian's that won him over," Lily suggested, sending a wink over her shoulder to him.

"I do what I can," he shrugged.

"It's a fluff piece, not a glowing review yet," Lily said. "Still have the preview to get through tomorrow."

"They're gonna love it," Julie beamed, hooking her arm into Lily's to pull her close. "We're gonna make 'em love it!"

Sebastian held open the door for Wardrobe for the ladies to pass. "Who cares if they don't?" Sebastian shrugged. "The show's sold out and the only reliable opinion comes from the ticket holders."

"They're still gonna love it," Julie insisted.

Sebastian greeted Drew outside Lily's door with a friendly clap on the arm. "How's it going, Terminator?"

"Just fine, sir," Drew nodded, knocking on the door before he opened it for Sebastian to enter.

Drew pulled the door shut behind Sebastian and Lily looked up from her phone to smile at him from the couch. Sebastian dropped onto the sofa beside her, his side pushing into hers as he landed and he peered over to see her screen.

"Whatcha got there?" he asked, his brow raised in curiosity.

"Reading the Times piece," Lily answered, shifting in her seat to get some of his weight off of her arm. "He was pretty polite."

"You are charming," Sebastian said, flashing a toothy grin before dropping his smile and adding, "when you want to be."

Lily stuck her tongue out and elbowed him to move. "Thought you left," she said, looking back to the article on her phone.

Sebastian ignored her nudge and settled his head onto her shoulder. "Came to see what's for dinner."

"What? Like I'm gonna cook?" Lily scoffed. "Honey, I barely cook for me at home. What makes you think I'm whipping up anything for you here?"

"Fine," he shrugged. "I'll cook."

"You?" she doubted. "You're gonna cook?"

He picked his head up, turning to scowl at her. "I cook," he spat. "Not often because it's usually just me, but it comes out alright."

"That's inspiring," Lily sarcastically noted.

Sebastian reached out and pressed the lock button on Lily's phone. "Wanna come over and eat or not?"

"You're not getting sick of me?" she laughed.

He cupped a hand to her cheek and turned her face to his. "Lil," he began, looking deep into her eyes, "honestly, I want you to come over...That way we take your car instead of me thumbing a cab."

Lily burst into laughter, shoving him away and shaking her head. "You're just using me, like everyone else."

"At least I'm honest about it," he innocently smiled, watching her as she stood up.

"I have always appreciated your honesty," she nodded, with a slight bow.

Sebastian slouched deep into the cushion behind him and stretched his legs out in front of him. "Come over," he insisted. "You know you don't have anything better to do."

"That's the basis of our entire friendship," she told him. "Me having nothing better to do."

"You can't hurt me, Lil," he smiled, smugly folding his hands over his stomach. "You killed me a long time ago."

"Did I at least remember to send you flowers?" she asked, gather her things into her bag.

"Don't think you did," he said, with a discerning squint to his eyes. 

"Well," she shrugged, "I guess I'll have to do dinner to make up for the oversight."

Sebastian smiled proudly as he launched himself up off the couch. "You're such a pushover," he whispered in her ear, as he followed her to the door.

"Well, I've got nothing better to do," she reminded him as she opened the door for them to leave.

At his apartment, a quick check of the refrigerator showed Sebastian had overestimated his means to make dinner. He laughed as he explained he really hadn't gone shopping for two. Instead, he and Lily ventured back out to the street. They made their way to a casual sushi restaurant to sit at the bar and watch the chefs’ work. The humor wasn't lost and Sebastian smirked when Lily ordered a Winter Roll, to be served on the left side of her meal, as a jab at his most recent claim to fame. They toasted their first favorable write up with warm Saki and talked about life after the show while they waited for their food.

"So what's next?" Sebastian asked.

"Waiting for a script to come out, right now," Lily shrugged into a drink of her water. "It should be here Monday morning, if they got it out in time."

"Oh, yeah?" he mused. "What's it for?"

"A train wreck, love story, drama," she smiled. "It's still getting shopped around, but Jason Reitman's attached and is having it sent over to read."

"That sounds promising," Sebastian noted, his brow rising in interest. "What's it about?"

"On again-off again, alcoholic writer lives and suffers for his tender hearted muse-slash-girlfriend over several years," Lily airily explained. "Sounds like kind of a tear jerker."

"Something to get you a little statue of a tiny gold man?" Sebastian suggested.

Lily shrugged. "I don't know about _that_ ," she shrugged. "Guess we'll see when it shows up."

"Lemme know when you get it," he told her. "I wanna read it."


	8. Chapter 8

"I think of myself as a very, very rich woman," 'Blanche' insisted. "But I have been foolish- casting my pearls before swine."

"Swine, huh?" 'Stanley' arrogantly questioned.

"Yes, swine," she assured him. "Swine! And I'm thinking not only of you but of your friend, Mr. Mitchell. He came to see me tonight. He dared to come here in his work-clothes!" 'Blanche' raised an offended hand in the air. "And to repeat slander to me, vicious stories that he had gotten from you!" She pointed viciously at him. "I gave him his walking papers."

"You did, huh?" 'Stanley' scoffed.

'Blanche' nodded, firmly. "But then he came back. He returned with a box of roses to beg my forgiveness! He implored my forgiveness. But some things are not forgivable. Deliberate cruelty is not forgivable. It is the one unforgivable thing in my opinion and it is the one thing of which I have never, never been guilty. And so I told him, I said to him, "Thank you," but it was foolish of me to think that we could ever adapt ourselves to each other. Our ways of life are too different. Our attitudes and our backgrounds are incompatible. We have to be realistic about such things. So farewell, my friend! And let there be no hard feelings."

"Was this before or after the telegram came from the Texas oil millionaire?" 'Stanley asked, flipping a hand her way with the question.

Lily inched up to the side of the stage, watching from the edge of the curtain. As Sebastian and Julie bickered back and forth and scene 10 wound down, Lily peaked out to the smattering of press in the audience for the Thursday preview intended to stir up buzz and sellout any remaining tickets for the multi-show project. "Streetcar" had sold its seats completely by Wednesday of the fourth week of rehearsals. It was hard to gauge reactions, but the reporters seemed to be watching intently. Lily smiled to herself, ducking back behind the curtain to move around behind stage to be ready for her next entrance in a few minutes.

Lily shouldered her way through the door of Wardrobe, her eyes and fingers studying the loose seam of the dress in her hands. She smiled saying hello to the costumers who were tidying up for the day. She crossed to the corner of the room, politely waiting a moment for a conversation between her seamstress and a colleague to pause.

"Angela, I'm sorry to interrupt," Lily pardoned herself, holding up the dress, "but I was changing and saw the thread and-"

"Oops," Angela smiled before a disapproving click of her tongue. "I'll have this stitched up in no time."

Behind Lily, someone entered the room and the costumers nodded an acknowledging hello. Lily turned over her shoulder to see Sebastian's hand falling from a wave to the room as he started to talk to one of the other crew. The Wardrobe worker held out a hand, waiting for Sebastian to finish pulling off 'Stanley's' bowling shirt while they spoke.

Lily turned back to Angela. "Thank you so much," she told her. "I didn't want it to get snagged or tear."

"It's a quick fix," Angela assured her with a nod. "No trouble."

They said their goodbyes for the night and Lily turned to leave. Crossing the room, she saw a shirtless Sebastian and the perfect opportunity for revenge. Lily took her phone from her pocket and snapped a pic of the unsuspecting Sebastian's muscled and bare upper body as he held up a t-shirt to put his arms in, jeans slung low on cut hips to see his Adonis belt. She bit her lip at her own fiendishness as she paused mid-stride to upload the photo before diverting her path toward Sebastian. Waving her hand like she had just burned her fingers and with a wince more akin to lust than pain, she hissed in a breath and playfully said, "Ay, papi!"

"Like what you see?" Sebastian asked, lips pulling in a smug grin as he held his arms out wide.

"I'm fine, thanks," Lily said, dismissively. She quirked up an eyebrow. "But we'll see how hot and bothered Instagram gets."

"What?" Sebastian's tone and face dropped. 

Lily wore a mischievous grin, waggling her phone in her fingertips for him to see. She didn't say anything. All Lily had to do was smile and nod.

"Real funny," he complained, putting his hands on his hips and giving her a sarcastic smile and nod. "What did you do?"

"Someone, I don't know who," she innocently suggested, "may have shared a pic of you in all your half-naked, muscly-ness with some friends and a comment about the distracting conditions some people have to work in. It's tragic, really."

Sebastian pulled the shirt overhead with a scoff while the wardrobers snickered. "Tragic," he repeated. "Right. Well, I didn't hear anyone complaining when I did Picnic."

"Ahh, days of six packs past," Lily wistfully mused.

"Hey," Sebastian barked, pulling up the front of his t-shirt to expose his abs as he flexed and pointed to the muscles. "Eight pack," he corrected.

Lily held of her hands in apology. "Well," she huffed. "Excuse me."

"Get it right," he told her, jutting his chin as he let his shirt fall back down.

"You might wanna get him a bigger hat," Lily said to one of the costumers on her way out. "He's getting pretty full of himself."

"Fuck you, sweetheart," Sebastian wryly called after her before an indignant laugh.

Lily stopped at the door and smiled back. "Not tonight, dear. I have a headache."

There was a knock on the dressing room door without a pause before Sebastian entered and Lily turned with a surprised smile to greet him. She twisted back to the mirror of her dressing table to continue brushing up her hair as he came in. The door shut a little too hard behind him and Lily looked over her shoulder to give him a questioning glare.

Holding up his phone, Sebastian spoke slowly. "You actually fucking did it."

"What'd I do?" she asked, twisting a band around her ponytail.

"You put up that picture," he enlightened her.

Lily smiled, wide and mischievous. "I told you I did."

Sebastian pointed a finger at her, his jaw setting forward unhappily and his nostrils flaring on a deep inhale. "Fucking- God dammit, Lil," he managed in his frustration. "You didn't 'share it with friends'," he told her, miming quotation marks with his hands. "You put it on fuckin' Instagram."

She proudly chuckled, spinning on her chair to watch him walk over to the couch in the room and slump down with a hard sigh. "Some friends, several thousands of fans and friends. What's the difference? I have three words for you," she told him, holding up a hand to count each word as she went on, "My. Fair. Lady."

"Pfft!" he angrily spat, grimacing and flipping a hand up in the air. "Two completely different things, Benjamin," Sebastian pointed out. "I put up a video of actresses singing backstage for people and you're fucking posting...fucking soft core porn."

Lily laughed, gripping her hands on the back of her chair as she folded over in delight at his choice of words. "Soft core Seb," she mused, still laughing. "Oh, my god. I love it!"

"Have you seen the shit that's showing up in the comments 'a that thing in just ten minutes?" he demanded.

"No," she shook her head, sighing out the end of her laugh. "No, but I can't wait to. Jesus Christ, that's funny."

"Take it down, Lily," he told her.

She shook her head, lips pressed tight together to keep from laughing again. "No, I can't," she said. "That covers the show tune _and_ that blackmail performance you got. We're square."

"How the hell is that even remotely close to even?" Sebastian begged, his face wincing and hand reaching out for an explaination. "Everybody I know is gonna see that."

"You've done practically the same thing for photoshoots before," she told him, fanning a dismissive hand his way before twisting back to her mirror to touch up her hair. "You did Picnic."

"That's different," he explained. "That's like fashion and sports things, it's in a script. There's a theme, a story for it. It's not some gratuitous shot of a wardrobe change."

Lily wagged her brow up at him in the mirror, giving her hair a pass of hairspray. "Since when have you ever been so modest? I'm just trying to spread the word that you still got that eight pack," she shrugged, innocently. "Think of the fangirls, Bas. The fangirls."

"God dammit, Lil," he griped, shaking his head before he let it fall to the back of the couch. "The fangirls get by just fine without your help."

Snickering again as she stood up from her dressing table, Lily pouted a frown at him as she crossed the room. "Aww," she cooed. "What'sa matter? Is somebody a grumpy bunny?"

"Don't," he told her, holding up a finger in warning.

"You know what you need?" she asked and he shook his head. "You need a drink."

Sebastian followed her with his eyes, moving the finger to stay between them as if it were a cross to ward off evil. "I swear to fuckin' God, Benjamin," he threatened, sternly, his gaze leveling in all seriousness. "I am _not_ in the mood."

Lily crawled into his lap, pushing his hand out of her face as she straddled him. "You need a pina colada," she assured him, with a nod.

"No, I don't," he firmly promised her, the scowl on his face fighting a smile. 

Her hands tickled at his sides and he jumped as she sang, "'Cause you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain."

"Fucking hell!" he complained, grabbing at her hands.

Lily squirmed free to tickle him again, carrying on with her version of the song. "You're maybe not into yoga, but your six pack's an eight."

Sebastian folded his arms around hers, his only defense as he leaned over and rolled her into the couch. Lily let out a laughing scream as they fell to the floor. He turned her trick against her, wrapping her up tightly to reach around to her sides to tickle her as she belted out the rest of the chorus.

"If you like making love at midnight in the dunes of the cape!" she sang loudly, between gasping laughs and shrieks. "Then I'm the love that you've looked for, write to me and escape!"

"Enough already!" he told her, smothering her mouth with a free hand.

Lily licked his palm and he pulled back with a disbelieving laugh.

"Did you-?" he began, looking at his damp palm as she cackled proudly. "You fuckin' _licked_ me?!"

There was another shriek from Lily, as he wiped his palm down her cheek. "No!" she yelled, desperately trying to hide her face in his shoulder.

"That's what you get," he told her, giving her head a gentle push before he let her go.

Lily gave him a shove back and wiped her own hand at her cheek, checking her face for any moisture. "I'm not taking it down," she promised, as Sebastian rolled onto his back with his hand still beneath her.

"I know you're not," he groaned, with a sigh and folding his arm over her shoulder as Lily put her chin on his chest. Sebastian tipped his eyes down to see her and grumbled. "You're such a bitch."

"Hey," Lily scolded. "Is that anyway to talk to your porn publicist?"

"That's not a real job," he reminded her. "And I'm _not_ paying you."

Raising up on her arms, Lily gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she stood. "You don't have to. The pictures pay their own dividends," she winked.

Sebastian sat up and gave her a hard smack on the ass as she stepped over him. She put her hand over the stung spot with a plaintive yelp and frown down at him as he told her, "That's your Christmas bonus."

"I'm telling Drew," she threatened, rubbing the sting out of her right cheek.

"Even money says he thinks you deserve it," Sebastian bet, standing up from the floor and straightening his shirt. "What's for dinner?"

"You're cooking," Lily shrugged, rewrapping her hair in the mirror.

"I cooked last time," he pointed out.

"Fine," she shrugged, shouldering her bag and grabbing her phone off the table. "My place then."

Sebastian followed her to the door, sending her out ahead of him with another, albeit gentler, hit on the ass. "Fine."

"So how do you think it went?" Sebastian asked, lifting up one of the silver lids covering the Room Service order.

Lily accepted the plate with her club sandwich and fries from Sebastian as she set down a bottle of water for him on the table. Taking a seat, she shrugged. "I thought it looked good. Guess we'll find out in the morning."

Sebastian sat down with his meal, twisting open the lid of his drink. "Did anybody get a hint or anything?"

"I didn't really ask," she shook her head. "I took a few peeks in between my scenes. They didn't look too bored or miserable."

There was a small snort from Sebastian as he nodded and chewed. "You're not interested in what they might say?" he wondered.

"Sure, I'm interested," Lily half-heartedly admitted. "But all I can do is wait and see."

"It's got me a little nervous," he said.

"Why?" Lily asked, dipping a fry into some ketchup.

"I don't know," Sebastian shrugged. "How can you not be? It's been awhile for both of us doing theater."

"Well," she began, "we're already sold out, so, technically, the show's already a financial success. I think the last few run throughs have been great. I don't see how people won't like it."

"Yeah," he shrugged, "but ticket sales are one thing. People were probably always gonna buy for the charity of the project. I don't want people to like it. I want them to love it."

Lily smiled. "I think they will."

"You're pretty zen about the whole thing now, aren't you?" he smiled.

She sent back a sheepish grin before picking at her food. "I'm actually kind of screaming inside," she told him.

Sebastian was quick to hide his worried frown and mask it as curiosity before she looked up at him from her plate. "What's that mean?"

Lily put down her piece of sandwich and drew in a deep breath, her brow rising in her own kind of curiosity before folding thoughtfully. "I don't know," she said with a quick grimace. "It's like I want it do well and people to like it, but I'm trying not to care because if the reviews are bad..." Lily shrugged. "I just want to scream from the top of the roof and just get it all out and not give a shit, but, at the same time, I just don't want to let you all down."

"You can't let us down. It's an ensemble," he reminded her, "not the Lily Benjamin show. We're all in this together. It's gonna be great because we're all a part of it. It's going to be great because you're a part of it."

She flashed a meek smile and shook her head. "God," she sighed. "I just can't. I just can't let it go. I swear, I'm getting an ulcer from this and the show hasn't even opened yet."

Sebastian chuckled. "You're not getting an ulcer, ya fuckin' hypochondriac," he assured her. "I know this show is special to you, Lil. If anything, we're not going to let you down. Besides," he added, gesturing casually away, "there isn't even a first review to work off of. The director's happy. The cast is happy. The opening is in, what? Eleven days? I don't see a lot that could change. It's gonna be fine, Benny. You're gonna kill it."

There was a gentle knock on Lily's dressing room door. Letting her tote fall from her shoulder to the chair of her dressing table, she called for whomever to come in. She heard the door open and turned around to see Sebastian's head stuck in the door, his eyes scanning the room until they found her.

"Did you see?" he asked, from his hiding place behind the door.

"No," she breathed out. "Running a bit late today. I was just about to hop online, though. You?"

Sebastian pushed the door open and stepped inside, holding a stack of papers high in one hand. "I have," he nodded. "Most of us have."

His face gave nothing away and it made Lily's stomach twist anxiously. "Well?" she insisted, impatient with his neutrality as he casually sat down on the couch in the room.

He sifted through the stack of newspapers on his lap for a moment before he selected one, straightened up, and read, "Hollywood leading lady, Lily Benjamin-" Sebastian tipped his eyes up from the paper to nod Lily's way and note, "That's you."

Lily smirked, his humor not helping her nervousness. "Smart ass," she grumbled.

Sebastian cleared his throat and found his place again. "Uhh, breathes life into Stella Kowalksi. On a stage crowded with characters, Benjamin's Stella is perhaps the most authentic and believable one. Benjamin plays the subtleties of a woman torn and manipulated between loyalty to her husband and to her older sister with such depth and emotion that the audience is constantly swaying judgment and switching sides as frequently as Stella herself. Given Benjamin's overwhelming career success as a bona fide silver screen heavyweight, she adapts effortlessly to the simplicity of the stage as the sometimes meek pawn trapped in the middle of Stan's oft times boorish Stanley and Reese's outspoken Blanche. Benjamin's range from doe eyed housewife to sympathetic sister ebbs and flows so naturally in the power struggle between Stanley and Blanche that she commands incredible empathy from the audience.

"The sheer devotion to Stella that Benjamin brings to her performance does not allow her to be a background character to the story and dissolve, as some actresses have with other revivals. Rather, at times, Benjamin would have you believe the puppet is pulling the strings in this family fight. There's an immersive realism to the sisterly relationship between Benjamin and Reese that could almost convince you that these actresses have known and worked with each other for years instead of the barely five weeks since the show has been in rehearsals.                

"The outright passion of Stanley we all came to love in Marlon Brando's performance in the classic film adaptation is alive and well as Stanley calls out for his beloved Stella. The fiery on stage chemistry is what makes Stan and Benjamin so convincing as the Kowalksis. Sebastian Stan's instincts with Stanley's insecurities, easy charm, and sheer animal magnetism makes him as likeable and relatable as any character while showing us the impassioned ferocity audiences identify with the role from Brando's turn on screen. Benjamin's portrayal of Stella as a damsel as much as seductress, helps paint the intriguingly vivid and sexually charged, albeit damaged, relationship between Stella and Stanley perfectly. This ideal pairing convinces us that the highs are as wonderful as the lows are frightening...Blah blah blah." Sebastian's eyes scanned down the column before he concluded, "Uhh...a production full of vigor and heart, stylish and funny, and violent and sweet, the audience, as well as Mr. Williams' play, is in excellent hands."

Lily let out a cough of a laugh, a cautious smile pulling at her lips. "Really?"

Sebastian turned the paper in his hand to show her from across the room. "It's a rave," he nodded. "They all are. Some notes here and there, but they all loved it."

"Lemme see," Lily insisted, reaching out a hand as she moved to join Sebastian on the couch.

He handed her a pair of newspapers as she sat, dropping his arm around her shoulders as she leaned into his side. Sebastian smiled wide as Lily skimmed over the articles, an occasional grin of wonderment ghosting over her lips as she read silently. Sebastian bent up one of the papers resting on his leg to reread himself.

"Not bad, huh?" he asked, after a few quiet minutes.

"I'm...Wow," she managed, shuffling to another paper.

"They love you, Benny," Sebastian noted. "They love your Stella. Told you you had nothing to worry about."

"Yeah yeah," she shyly grumbled.


	9. Chapter 9

The last week of rehearsal flew by frighteningly fast for Lily. There were just a few changes that come out of the press reviews, some technicalities for sound, some adjustments to the pacing of a couple of scenes. Lily absorbed it all, but the euphoria of the early raves lost its thrill fast. The show opened its 16 show run on Tuesday and suddenly a litany of unreasonable worries intermittently crept through Lily's mind. Was her understudy ready if she was ill? Would the show still review the same way without her? Was she really as prepared and well suited for this as the critics and her friends said?

By Monday of opening week, Lily had begun to withdraw. Her sleep was restless and brief, her appetite suffering, and occasional headaches kept her mood slightly soured. She dropped out of her morning runs with Drew over the weekend, preferring instead to take as much of her free time to pour over the script and run scenes in her head, critiquing and analyzing herself for any adjustments to be made. She set her phone to vibrate and left it in the bedroom, replying to messages from friends hours late and all but ignoring her social media. She called the hotel's front desk and blocked any calls or visitors for herself, as well. Lily essentially cocooned herself away from the world, ordering room service and dismissing Drew's invitations and suggestions to got out for anything. She should have known he wouldn't let her get away with it.

Lily wasn't surprised to see Sebastian on the other side of the door when she checked the peephole, but rolled her eyes nonetheless when she opened the door, greeting him with an indifferent, "Hey."

Sebastian had been looking down the hall and smiled when she opened the door. "Hey, Lil."

"What's up?" she asked, her eyes scanning the hall that she could see from her doorway.

"Thought I'd drop by, see what you were up to," he shrugged.

"Nothing," she shook her head before inclining it back toward the hotel suite. "Just running over some lines."

Sebastian raised up on his toes for a second to peek over her shoulder. "Got somebody in there with you?" he asked and she shook her head again. "Can I come in then? Or do you wanna just hang out in the hall?"

Lily inhaled deeply as Sebastian chuckled at his own cleverness and raised his eyebrows hopefully. "Yeah," she said, almost in a sigh, definitely surprised to see him but not exactly in the mood for company. "Come on in."

As he passed through the doorway, Lily looked herself over and shut the door. She hadn't been meaning to entertain and was still in the t-shirt and yoga pants she put on when she first woke up. She combed her finger through her hair, pulling and twisting it up to knot with a hair band from her wrist. Sebastian stopped in the middle of the living room, hands in his pockets and subtle grin on his face.

"So what brings you out to this neck of the woods?" she asked, moving back to take up her seat, curled up into the corner of the couch again.

"Drew called and-" Sebastian stopped, frowning at her when she rolled her eyes and picked up her folded over script from the end table beside her. He let out an un-amused breath. "He said, you've been holed up here like a hermit the last couple of days and thought maybe you'd like some company."

"I'm fine," she smiled, looking up from her pages. "Just working."

Sebastian took a seat in the chair at the end of the coffee table near her end of the couch. "You already worked," he pointed out, leaning over to pull the script from her hand. "You should be relaxing. It's gonna be a long couple 'a weeks."

Lily reached forward, dragging the script book back from underneath his arm on the chair. "I'll relax _after_ the show," she said.

He pinched the book in his fingertips before she could take it back completely and tugged back and forth with her with a playful smirk. "You always like this?" he asked, releasing his hold and letting her have her script back. "What is it? Stressed or nervous before a show?"

"I don't do this enough to know," she joked, folding the cover closed on her script and setting it beside her feet on the couch cushion. "A little column A, a little column B. Who knows?"

"You need a break," he decided. "Let's get out of here. Ya wanna go do somethin'?"

Lily gave him a skeptical look, arching up an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I didn't have a plan, per se. Let's go get some dinner, catch a movie, go for a walk and get some coffee. Whatever you want."

She pointed up at her messy bun. "Wasn't exactly planning on going anywhere today," she told him.

"Pfft," he scoffed, waving a dismissive hand down at her. "You look fine. I don't know if I'd wear that shirt with those pants," he pouted thoughtfully, "but if you were going for 'People of Wal-Mart', you nailed it."

Lily flipped him her middle finger when he gave her a sure nod and a thumbs up for her outfit. "You're a dick," she said.

"And you're still in pajamas at-" Sebastian checked his watch. "4:21 in the afternoon."

"I'm an adult," she reminded him. "I do what I want."

"You're a bum," he countered, pointing a finger at her from his elbow on the arm of his chair, "and you're gonna go put on some shoes and go out with me."

"So, _now_ you'll be seen with me like this?" she doubted.

"Just think of how good I'll look by comparison," he quipped.

"Oh, you are a smug sonuvabitch, aren't you?" Lily shook her head, disapprovingly.

Pointing at her again, Sebastian observed, "You're stalling. No more chit-chat. Get off your ass and let's go."

"Is that some kind of a pep talk?" she coyly asked.

"It's an order," he insisted. He jerked his thumb to the door and added, "You don't do it and I'm gonna get Drew and we'll throw your ass in the shower like the boys do Stanley."

Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, Lily put her feet back on the floor to stand. "You really are a mean old snake. You know that?"

Sebastian pulled his feet back against the chair for her to pass by him. "Yeah," he sarcastically agreed, head following her as she went. "I'm the worst."

"I'm taking a shower," she told him, on her way out of the room.

"I don't care," he called back, smiling to himself. "Just hurry up. I'm bored already."

Lily returned, barely fifteen minutes later, feeling a little refreshed. She tugged up the sleeves of her sweater as she walked back into the living room. Sebastian had moved to her seat at the end of the couch, his feet stretched out under the coffee table and a script curled open in one hand. He was leaned into the arm of the couch, tilting the pages into the lamp light.

"I thought you said work was done," she half questioned, slapping her hand up underneath his reading and sitting down in the chair.

Sebastian kept his thumb between the bottom of the pages and held the book up for her to see the cover. "You read this yet?" he asked.

He had found the screenplay she was sent and Lily nodded. "Got through it once."

Pulling his feet back, he sat up a little straighter. "What'd you think?" he asked, sounding genuinely interested.

"It's good," Lily told him, her brow rising up in interest.

"I'm only like-" Sebastian looked at the book in his hand. "36 pages in and this is real good. Is it all like this?"

"Pretty much," she said. "It's a bit rough in a couple spots, but, all in all, yeah. It is."

"Are you going to do it?" he questioned, setting the script in his lap.

Lily shrugged, glancing down at the story. "There's nothing there, really," she noted. "It barely has a leg to stand on now. There's no studio backing or-"

"Put your name on this," he told her, tapping the cover of the script. "Don't let this one go."

"It's just a read," she said, gesturing an empty hand at the screenplay. "It's not an offer and that's not even a final draft. I'd still have to audition if it gets green lit."

"Then audition," he insisted. "Trust me, once this starts making the rounds, somebody's gonna grab it. Make sure they know you want this."

"You think?" Lily asked, her brow knitting as she slouched back into her chair. "You haven't even finished."

"I want to, though," Sebastian said. "Can I borrow this?"

Lily laughed. "What? Am I running a library?"

"I'm taking it with me," he decided, standing up and tucking it under his arm. "C'mon. Let's go get some fresh air."

With an indifferent shrug, Lily pushed herself up out of the chair. "I'm coming. I'm comin'," she groaned with a smirk.

"No shit, Lil," Sebastian called to her in the kitchen from his couch. "You should do this."

Sebastian closed the script, bending the book to fan through the pages slowly, his eyes skimming a few words here and there. It hadn't taken him long to read through the story. Sitting in his apartment with Lily after dinner and a trip to Starbucks, he turned pages while she stretched her feet across his lap from the other end of the couch and played with her phone. They shared a couple thoughts when he came across a piece of dialogue that intrigued him and hearing her thoughts only made it easier for him to imagine Lily as the female lead. He looked up when she came back in the room, his eyes tracking her around the coffee table and back to her seat.

"When was the last time you talked to anyone about this?" he asked, setting the script beside him on the couch cushion.

Lily tucked one foot beneath her and leaned her head onto her fist propped up on the back of the couch. She hummed while she thought for a moment before saying, "Probably about two weeks. I've had it about a week. Took this long to get to it with work."

"Call them back," Sebastian told her and tapped a finger down on the book's cover. "See where this is at and let them know. This is you. You're perfect for this. Seriously, call them now."

She chuckled behind a wide grin. "Like, right now?"

"I'm tellin' ya, Lil," he nodded, "get on this."

"It was a good read," she conceded, reaching out to pick up the script and look over the cover. "It could be something."

"That's what I'm saying," he laughed, gesturing toward the book in her hand.

Her brow rose with interest. "Yeah," she nodded. "Ya know what? Okay."

Sebastian's smile beamed proudly as Lily took up her phone and thumbed through her contacts. He shifted in his seat, edging himself into the corner of the couch to watch her on the phone. She flashed him a quick smile when she noticed him looking and shook her head. The line rang a few times before it was answered and Lily had her may be director on the line. They exchanged a few pleasantries and she thanked him for his well wishes for the play. She was casual when she broached the subject of the movie, carefully balancing interest in the project with caution that it might not get picked up or that other actresses may have been floated the script to consider.

Sebastian was surprised at the twinge of nervousness that tickled his gut. What he pulled from hearing Lily's half of the conversation sounded positive, but it was too vague to be sure. Lily's face was too neutral to read except for the occasional smile that came and went to add a pleasantness to her response when needed. He ran a hand through his hair and held up his hands to her, his shoulders and brow raising in unison to ask for a hint. Lily wrinkled her nose, shaking her head and waving him off as she talked. She held up a finger for him to wait.

"Well, hey," Lily said, wrapping up the call, "I know it's about dinner time over there, so I'll let you go. Keep me posted if you hear something...Alright...You too. Bye."

"So?" Sebastian demanded, barely able to contain his curiosity anymore.

Lily wagged up her brow, tossing her phone onto the couch in front of her. "There's a meeting on Friday with Sony about it," she said. "He says a few emails back and forth and a couple calls and things sound promising."

"Did he say anything about the part?" Sebastian lead her on. "Anything about you or anyone else?"

"He'll let me know how the meeting goes," she shrugged, finding a rough edge on a fingernail to scratch at distractedly. "If it's good news, he'll send me some notes to put together an audition."

Sebastian broke into a wide smile. "See? Aren't you glad you called?"

"There's nothing to write home about yet," Lily pointed out. "I still have to get through this play."

"We," Sebastian corrected, holding up a finger at the change. " _We_ have a play. And it's gonna be great. This is it Lil." He gave her a sure nod. "This is your year. I feel it."

"You ready for this?" Drew asked, looking up at Lily from his place on her dressing room couch.

Lily eyed herself in the mirror, fussing to check all the angles. "Can't back out now," she said, shrugging at her reflection as she decided it was good enough.

Drew chuckled to himself, folding his newspaper closed. Lily smiled, seeing him shake his head at her as she straightened up and smoothed the front of her dress. There was a knock on the door and one of the production assistants gave her the five minute call. Lily answered and looked at Drew, eyes wide and brow raised as she took in a deep breath and held it. 

"Car's right outside the door if you want it," he offered with a smirk. 

Lily shook her head. "No," she exhaled, fanning her hands loose by her sides. "I got this. Piece of cake, right?"

"Piece of cake," Drew nodded.

"Got your ticket?" she asked, starting for the door.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, patting the breast pocket of his suit coat. "Wouldn't miss it."

Lily stopped halfway through the door and turned to look back at him, worried. "You'll be honest, right?" she asked. "About the play? You won't bullshit me because you're on the payroll, will you?"

Drew gave her a confident smile. "When have I ever?"

She nodded and stepped into the hallway. Making her way to the wing of the stage, Drew left her with a reassuring squeeze on the arm and told her to 'break a leg' before heading off to take his seat in the audience. Lily joined her cast mates, huddled together while the crew hurried about with last minute preparations. Lily could hear the murmur of the crowd waiting on the other side of the curtain and her stomach was full of nervous butterflies.

"You ready?" Sebastian asked.

"To throw up?" Lily suggested. "Yeah. Totally."

He laughed, giving her a quick hug before taking her hand in his. The rest of the cast and several crew held hands or put a palm on someone's shoulder, as the group bowed their heads down and the head seamstress, and the one with the most years with the theater of anyone, Marylyn, lead them in a prayer. Lily wasn't much for religion, but she would never shun any of a theater's traditions or superstitions. She bowed her head and added her soft 'amen'. 

The AD called 'two minutes' and sent everyone to their places. Sebastian gave Lily's hand a squeeze and tug, his mouth wide with a smile and tongue falling out in excitement. Lily couldn't help but laugh and she felt some of her nerves dissolve. She took back her hand and Sebastian sent her away with a whisper for luck and a smack on the ass, while the theater began to hush in anticipation. 

Lily found her mark and closed her eyes. She pulled in slow, even breaths and drummed her fingers on the set wall beside her, working out the anxiety and worry in her head and pounding heart. The theater was quiet. The last scuff of someone's shoe on the stage, and it was silent on the set. The curtain began to slide, Lily opened her eyes and everything was still again.


	10. Chapter 10

Without a knock or warning, the dressing room door burst open, flying back to bounce off the wall with a shudder. Lily jumped, clutching a hand to her chest and snapping her attention to the doorway. She let her breath go, shaking her head, with an embarrassed titter, at seeing Sebastian standing in the door frame, limbs splayed wide and holding a large bouquet of roses triumphantly in the air. He marched into the room, eyes fixed on Lily's.

"Stellaaahhh!" he bellowed, his eyes crushed closed in exaggerated anguish before falling to his knees at her feet.

Lily covered her mouth to stifle her laughter as she looked down at him from the seat of her dressing table. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she laughed, playfully smacking the back of her hand into his shoulder.

Sebastian inched forward on his knees, holding the flowers out to her. "For my baby," he explained.

A blush came to her cheeks and Lily put her face to the red buds for a deep breath of their scent. She hugged the bouquet and smiled. "Thank you."

Rocking back on his toes, Sebastian stood up. He put a hand on Lily's knee for balance as he bent down to plant a kiss on both of her cheeks. "Brava," he enthusiastically said. "Perfect." Sebastian straightened up, smiling down at her as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "It was amazing, Benny."

Her eyes turned down with humility. "You think it went that well?" she asked, carefully laying her roses on the table beside her.

"Oh, they loved it!" Sebastian insisted, turning around to walk over and take a seat on the couch. "That was-" He scrunched his face and clenched his fists in front of him, searching for the words to describe he excitement at the opening night. "God," he breathed out. "It was fucking amazing!"

"I love it when you get all amped up like this," she said, spinning in her chair to lean over the back and face him.

"Aren't you?" he demanded. "Two curtain calls on opening night and you still doubt it?"

A proud smile turned up the corners of Lily's mouth and her head tipped to the side in consideration. "It did feel pretty good," she admitted.

"God damn right it did," Sebastian seconded, jabbing a finger into the air for punctuation. "You ready for the party?"

Lily twisted back to her mirror and gave her makeup and hair a quick once over. "I guess," she shrugged, sounding rather noncommittal.

Sebastian was back on his feet as Lily stood. Drew stepped into the open doorway and announced the car was waiting. Lily gathered up her bag and Sebastian's flowers for her and they headed out toward the stage door. Along the way, Lily's manager, publicist, agent, and personal assistant greeted them. They'd flown into town for the opening night and, while Lily appreciated seeing her adored PA, she suspected her management was there to make sure she didn't make a spectacle of herself at the party. Lily introduced her team to Sebastian and they offered a few pleasantries and enthusiastic compliments about the show while theater security gathered to escort the stars outside. From behind, Drew warned Lily of the crowd waiting.

"There's an easy hundred out there," Drew said. "Lined all the way down. Pretty well behaved though."

"Your public awaits," Sebastian teased, winking at Lily.

Her assistant stepped up, holding out an arm for Lily's bag, purse, and roses. The harpies, as Lily called them, dismissed themselves to their own ride to the party, reminding her they'd meet her there. Lily shook out her hands and took a breath. She fixed on a smile, to hide her exhaustion, as Drew nodded and told the security staff they were ready.

Outside, cell phone cameras flashed and fans cheered, calling and reaching for just a second’s worth of notice from Lily and Sebastian. Ever gracious, Sebastian was instantly drawn to the crowd, signing autographs and posing for selfies. Lily joined him across the front of the crowd, inching down the line and repeating her thanks for her fans' time and support. She handed off small gifts and flowers to her assistant as she received them while Drew eyed the grabbing hands of the crowd and kept a hand on Lily's back to keep her moving.

They gave them a solid twenty minutes of their time. Sebastian and Lily posed for pictures together and separately at request and managed to greet a majority of the people waiting. Lily's assistant, Jessica, couldn't hold many more things and there seemed to be an endless supply of playbills and memorabilia handed out for Lily and Sebastian to sign. Drew played bad cop, reminding fans Lily had an event to be at and edging himself in to shield her from anyone else touching his client. Sebastian followed his lead, heading toward the waiting limo. The stars continued to call and wave their 'thank you's to the crowd as they walked away.

Inside the car, Lily angled herself comfortably into the corner of her seat, leaving room for the others to climb in. The driver pulled away and headed for the show's party. Lily's assistant began sorting through her trinkets, piling cards and letters in one stack and gifts and flowers in another. Sebastian set aside his own armful of fan gifts on the floor and stretched, pressing his shoulders back into the seat.

"That was fun," he smiled through a sigh. "I think there was more than a hundred. They were packed in like sardines."

"Minimum guess from the door," Drew nodded. "I'm sure there were plenty more."

"What'd ya think?" Sebastian asked, nudging the side of Lily's knee with the edge of a loose fist.

Her brow rose, her attention coming to the conversation. "Oh," she nodded. "Yeah, good crowd. They seemed to like it."

"You're not crapping out on me already, are you?" Sebastian chuckled. "We haven't even got to the party."

"Sorry," she smiled. "Just tired. It's been awhile. I almost forgot how much the first show takes out of you."

"We'll get you some coffee," Sebastian decided. "Can't have you nodding off at your own party."

Lily and the others laughed. "I'll get a second wind," she assured him. "Promise."

"You think you can keep up like you used to?" Sebastian teased, cocking up a challenging eyebrow.

She gave him a shove in the arm. "Oh," Lily said, "I can keep up."

For an event that was supposed to be a celebration, Lily found her patience tested. Having been out of sight for several weeks from her management team, she felt cornered every time she ended up in a conversation with one of them. Her agent and manager, Carolyn and Rob, were already moving on to the next project and the one after that. When Lily suggested she would be taking a couple more weeks away in New York, she was literally laughed at. Lily's publicist, Mark, was the kindest. At least he spent several minutes complimenting and discussing the show with her before he started ticking off upcoming engagements. She couldn't hold much against her assistant for dropping in a few housekeeping issues here and there through the event. After all, Lily had been purposefully inattentive to her emails lately and content to let her handle most things on the star's behalf.

Surrounded by her cast and crew, Lily managed to find a few friendly conversations. It was the glass in her hand that worked best at putting her at ease. Besides the obvious relaxation the alcohol brought, the constant presence of a flute or tumbler was a distraction for idle hands. The glass to her lips was the best defense against saying something she'd regret. It only worked for so long. The next time her manager found his way around to her, Lily found her threshold. Listening to him pitch her next offer, she took the chance to mention the script she'd been sent. After the initial scolding of accepting scripts that hadn't run through the official channels, he wasted no time ticking down the list of problems he saw with the project. Lily knew better than to tell him she'd already been in touch with the director. Instead, she nodded and hummed along until she found a reason to excuse herself to the next conversation.

Lily disappeared into the room, snaking her way out and down the hall to the restroom. In the relative seclusion of the women's bathroom, she bummed a cigarette and a light off a stranger on her way out. She perched herself on the rise of a chaise along the wall beneath the window. With her hand resting at the open sill, she let her head fall back into the wall and fumed over the irritation that had taken over her night. When she'd burned down the last of her charity cigarette, she ran the butt under the faucet and dropped it in the trash. She eyed herself in the mirror and shook her head. She'd had enough for one night.

Tucking the short strap of her purse a little higher on her arm, Lily headed for the street. She didn't say her goodbyes or call for her car. Outside, she took a look up and down the street, trying to decide which way to go. It didn't matter, and she settled on the direction that more people were walking. She walked for several blocks, enjoying the sounds of the city traffic and raised voices, relishing the anonymity in the crowd that Sebastian espoused so much about. She bought a cup of coffee from a food truck and sat on a bench at the edge of a small park she didn't know the name of, taking in the city from the sidelines and letting her head clear slowly. The night wore on, her coffee disappeared, and the air began to cool enough to give her a shiver. Lily waved down a taxi and was riding the elevator back to her floor just after 3 a.m. She should have known Drew would be waiting and he would not be happy with her.

Drew was impatiently typing on his phone when Lily opened the door to her suite. He looked up, brow furrowed in disapproval. The knot of his tie was pulled a few inches below his open collar and the sleeves of his shirt had been folded crisply at his elbows. He had clearly been there awhile and she had clearly exhausted his patience. He dropped his phone on the table and crossed his arms over his chest, the unhappy flex of his arms testing the limits of the stitching of his sleeves. Lily dropped her eyes from his scowl, knowing she was in for it.

"It's about fuckin' time," he grumbled. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Lily said, setting her purse down on the table. "And you?"

"Don't be smart with me," Drew warned her. His phone buzzed on the tabletop and took his attention. Drew picked up the device to reply to the message, saying, "Guess I can tell them you're back now."

"By all means," Lily agreed, walking by him to go into the kitchen.

"You mind telling me where you were?" Drew called behind her.

Lily took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and settled back against the counter. "Out."

"And what the hell does that mean?" he asked, coming up to stand in the doorway.

"I went for a walk," Lily shrugged. "Needed some fresh air. It was a bit stuffy in there."

"Dammit, Lily," he began.

She didn't wait for the speech. "I know," she grumbled, holding up a hand to stop him.

Drew exhaled and shook his head, glancing down to the vibrating phone in his hand. "Why didn't you answer your phone?" he asked, replying to his text.

Lily shrugged again, taking a drink. "Didn't hear it ring."

He glared at her for a moment before going back to his messaging. Finished typing, he held up his phone for her to see. "Do you have any idea the trouble you've been giving me for the last two and a half hours?"

"Probably more than a little," she acknowledged. "Sorry."

"Sorry?" he repeated. "Sorry isn't going to cut it when I get shit canned for you wandering off in the middle of the night without an explanation."

"You're not getting shit canned," she groaned, rolling her eyes.

"You keep these little games of yours up and I am," he assured her. "You wander off and it's not just your fault. When I'm responsible for knowing where you are 24/7, it's mine, too."

"Come on. Who's gonna fire you?" she challenged him, setting down her drink beside her.

"Take your pick," he scoffed, throwing a hand behind him toward the door. "Everybody's up my ass about this."

"You work for me," she assured him. "Don't worry about them."

Drew smirked and shook his head. "I give you two rules," he reminded her, holding up a pair of fingers. "Just two. Tell me, what is so god damn hard about that?"

"I just went for a walk," she said, dismissively. "No reason for you to leave the party. Hell, somebody should've enjoy it."

"You're not funny," he scolded. "I can't help you if you don't help me. I'm here trying to knock down calls and keep everyone from calling the fuckin' NYPD and you're out...doing what?" Drew huffed out a breath. "You've got to be more responsible while these assholes are around. You know that. Fuckin' Rob is ready to put my head on a stake for this."

"I'll call him in the morning," Lily told him.

"Call him now," Drew suggested, sarcastically. "He's up. They're all up, blowing up my damn phone every five minutes. Bitching about letting you drink and-"

"Oh, my fucking god," Lily complained, throwing up her hands and looking at the ceiling. "I'm not-"

"Nobody gives a shit, Lily," he insisted. "Nobody wants to hear it. They want you to get in line and behave yourself."

"I'm not misbehaving," she argued. "I'm not a child."

"Dammit," Drew groaned, rolling his eyes. "I don't have a problem with you, but...No, I take that back. I got a big fuckin' problem with you running off tonight." Lily gave him an exhausted look from the side of her eye. "You wanna leave? Then tell me and we'll leave. But this stunt tonight...They're done listening to me. You need to make some decisions, Lily. I can't cover for you anymore. They don't want to hear it. They saw you drinking a lot and they think you-"

"I'm not drunk," Lily spat.

"It doesn't matter," he assured her, hotly. "It doesn't matter what you say. It's what they see you do." The phone buzzed again in Drew's hand, a phone call this time. He sighed before answering and held up a finger for Lily to wait. "No, she's here...Fine. Everything's fine...No, she just went for a walk for a little bit...No, she's in her room. She's gone to bed. I'll have her call in-...I'll tell her...Yes, sir...No problem...Yes, sir."

Drew sighed again, pocketing his phone while Lily wagged her eyebrows up at him in curiosity. "And which sweetheart was that?" she asked.

"Rob," he said, giving her another stern look for her flippancy. "He's going to be here at 8:30. He wants to have a meeting with you."

"Well, ain't I special," she smirked, taking up her water again.

"Don't miss that meeting," he warned, leveling his eyes at her.

"I'm not going to," she sarcastically promised. "Go to bed, Drew. You've had a long night."

Drew watched her walk by him and round the corner toward her room. "I mean it, Lily," he called after her.

"I know," she yelled back.

He went back to the table, picking up his suit coat from off the back of one of the chairs. "8:30," he reminded her. "I'm gonna check up on you."

"I know," she agreed, from the next room.

"Get your phone out of your purse and finish drinking your water before you go to sleep," he told her, on his way to the door.

"I know," Lily groaned, loudly. She smiled to herself at his doting advice and turned toward her bedroom door to shout at him one more time. "You still mad at me?"

A small smirk came to him and Drew snorted as he reached for the door handle. "Yes."

"Drew?" she called, tiptoeing to her doorway to peek her eyes past the edge of the door frame.

"What?" he asked, holding the suite door open.

"I love you," she told him.

Drew looked back through the room and saw her peeking out. He dropped and shook his head, seeing the crinkles at her eyes to say she was smiling. "Yeah yeah," he grumbled, pulling the door shut behind him.


	11. Chapter 11

Lily's day began with a headache, for multiple reasons. The minor hangover from the show's opening night party was, surprisingly, not the biggest culprit. By 8 a.m., Drew had keyed into the suite, to ensure Lily was up for her meeting with her manager and to deliver a large cup of coffee from Starbucks for her. Lily emerged from the shower to find Drew with his own beverage, sitting at the table, and reading the paper left on her doorstep. He didn't even look up when she came by to collect her coffee, he only nodded, told her what time it was, and mentioned Room Service would have breakfast up shortly. Lily thanked him and went to dress for the day. Room Service was at the door just before 8:30 and Lily was just sitting down a few minutes later to eat when her manager arrived. Drew answered the door for her.

"Good morning, Robert," Lily smiled, preparing herself for another speech and peppering her eggs as he came in.

Without a word, Drew shut the door and disappeared to the chair at the far end of the living room. Far enough to give the conversation some privacy, but close enough to give the perception that Lily was under watch, Drew went back to his paper and coffee. Rob took a seat opposite Lily, settling into his chair with a disgruntled sigh and expression to match. He didn't return Lily's sarcastic greeting.

"Nice to see you found your way back last night," Rob quipped. "Or, this morning rather."

"Yeah, well," Lily shrugged. "Building this big is kinda hard to miss."

"This isn't funny anymore," he told her.

Lily nodded her agreement while she chewed a bite of her food. "No, it isn't."

"We had a long discussion last night," Rob informed her. "Me, Carolyn, and Mark."

"Sounds exciting," she mused, picking through her cup of fruit salad for a strawberry to eat.

Rob's scowl said he wasn't amused and the quiet cough from Drew warned Lily to dial it back, before Rob went on. "This arrangement isn't going to work anymore, Lily," Rob told her. "It's obvious that you haven't taken anything to heart these last months and this little experiment, of you being on your own in New York, is done. Carolyn is going to be staying until we can get someone from the agency out here to manage you better."

Lily chewed and nodded along, letting Rob drone on at length about the changes that were coming. She was getting a babysitter, her assistant had been told to make arrangements to be in town for the remainder of the show's run to help keep Lily on task and act as a second set of eyes, and the rest of her security team was being sent out. Obviously, Drew wasn't capable of keeping track of her on his own. Lily shot Drew a quick side eye glance, but he didn't' react to the news. She wasn't sure if he already knew or was indifferent. Either way, she was insulted for him.

When Rob reached a pause in his chastising and complaining, Lily took it as her time to chime in. Still working her way through breakfast, she didn't bother to look up from her food as she shrugged. "Actually," she began, "I have taken things to heart. Several things, really, and I've been giving them a lot of thought lately."

Rob sat forward, leaning his arms onto the table and clearly intrigued at the possibility of some kind of breakthrough. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah," she nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. "First of all, I don't think it's really fair to blame Drew for anything. He can hardly be responsible for something I clearly did on my own. He's actually done an incredible job of handling my visit, so far." She heard Drew flap the paper as he turned pages and thought she caught him look over from the corner of her eye. "I came out here without an entourage because I thought I needed the space to..." She rolled her hand in the air, searching for the words. "kind of clear my head. Get things straightened out, if you will. And, believe it or not, I think I actually have now."

Rob's phone chimed a message and he pulled it from his shirt pocket to check as he doubted Lily's epiphany. "You think you got things straightened out?"

"I did," she assured him.

"Pray tell," Rob said, finishing with whatever he read on his phone.

Lily took her time to finish the piece of melon she was eating, holding up a finger for her manager to be patient. She took a sip of her coffee and set down her fork before she finally said, "You're fired, Robert."

From the living room, Lily heard a small choke from Drew and his coffee, but her eyes were set on Rob's. She folded her hands in her lap as the corner of Rob's face pulled back into an incredulous smirk and he begged her pardon. Lily quirked up a confident eyebrow when she repeated herself. She went back to her breakfast while Rob awkwardly chuckled.

"You can't be serious?" he insisted.

"Completely," she promised him, scooping up a bite of eggs onto her fork. "Laugh it up, if it makes you feel better."

"Firing me is career suicide for you," he said, straightening up in his seat and balling a fist on the table.

"More like career murder for yours," Lily said, coming off incredibly unconcerned.

Rob shook his head. "You're a problem client," he reminded her. "Nobody's going to touch you with a ten foot pole. Nobody's going to put up with your bullshit like I do."

"Sweetie, at 175 million net worth last year and damn near everything but an Oscar on my mantle," she pointed out, "I'm a fucking jackpot no matter how poorly you think I behave."

"People don't want that kind of headache," Rob assured her. "Nowadays, it's a PR nightmare, no matter how much money you're worth."

"I know," Lily tutted. "You would think, right? But, actually, I've got several business cards burning a hole through Jessica's planner trying to get me just to take a lunch with them. I think I'll be okay."

"You think the press is bad," Rob said, "you have no idea what the industry word of mouth is on you."

"Sorry, Rob," Lily shrugged, picking out another strawberry. "I'd say it's been fun, but I've decided this morning to be more honest with myself and others. So, ya know, why lie?" She could see the shock still on him as he sat back in his seat and huffed. "Oh, and this isn't one of those A or B plans you're fond of either. There's no 'resign with dignity' option. I'm literally just firing you." She put her fork aside again and wiped the corner of her mouth with her napkin. "So, go back to LA. I'll have someone get started right away on the incidentals about my contract with you. Don't worry about all those little changes you made overnight. I'll have Jessica cancel all of that for you and let Carolyn and Mark know as well."

"Eleven years, Lily. I gave you this career. This is a big mistake, Lily" Rob warned her.

"Really?" she checked, in jest. "Because I feel like this is really gonna work out for me. It hasn't even been five minutes, and I already feel 110% better knowing I don't have to put up with your condescending, micromanaging tirades and bullshit anymore. Honestly, Rob, for the amount of money I paid you, you should be thanking me for letting you hang on this long. But, all good things...Am I right?" Rob just stared. "You don't have to say anything," Lily smiled. "That look of you 'just shit your pants' is thanks enough for me. So, go on. No tears, now. I have got _a lot_ of things to do this morning before the matinée today, as I'm sure you can imagine. Busy busy! But you have a safe trip home." Lily looked over into the living room. "Drew? Be a lamb and see Robert out, please."

"Yes, Ms. Benjamin," Drew nodded, tossing his newspaper on the coffee table as he stood.

"Don't even bother," Rob hissed, scooting his chair away from the table. "You're making a big mistake, Lily."

"I know," Lily wailed sarcastically. "I know. Really, if you could see my heart, it is literally broken in two."

Lily waved as Rob huffed and turned to the door. Drew followed him, a few steps behind. Rob left without another word and Drew shut and locked the door behind him. Drew turned on his heel and looked at Lily eating her breakfast.

"You proud of yourself?" he asked.

Lily's shoulders fell with an exaggerated eye roll and sigh of relief. "Ugh, you have no idea," she told him. She picked up her fork and went back to breakfast.

Drew went back to the living room for his drink and stood by the table, shaking his head. "Did you plan this or did it just hit you over coffee?"

"It came to me last night," she told him, gesturing for him to sit down. "I am done with letting people like him shit all over me just because they're on the payroll and think they know better. God, I've been bitching about it for years. I don't know why I waited so long...Did you eat?"

"I ate," he nodded. "This is going to be a PR shit storm when this gets out, you know."

Lily nodded. "It's gonna be fun, right?"

"Not sure that's how people will describe it," Drew said, cocking his head to the side. "You sure about this?"

"Completely" she promised, before a smirk. "It's going to be a long morning for Jessica and Mark though."

Lily had made mistakes. Chief among them was getting to bed so late and actually taking her meeting so early with her now former manager. She knew as soon as she heard "8:30" that Rob had picked the time as some kind of show of dominance and, frankly, just to be a pain in the ass. It was her own fault for fighting back and giving herself so much to deal with before the double performances of the Wednesday schedule. She should have waited until Thursday to fire Rob. At least that way she could have gone back to sleep after breakfast.

As it was, she was doing the math for how long she could nap before she had to be in hair and makeup before the first curtain as she was settling into her dressing room. Drew stationed himself at his usual post outside her door while her assistant juggled Lily's and her own phones, trying to wrangle the 'shit storm' Lily had started earlier in the day. Lily lined herself along her couch, arm draped over her eyes, while Jessica got off the phone and went over a few of the responses she had gotten from new management come to court Lily. Apparently, news was spreading quickly after Jessica's first email to the first few names in Lily's little black book of contacts that she was shopping for a new handler.

Jessica was mid-list of the email replies she had already gotten, and the unsolicited calls and messages that came as rumors spread around the grapevine of potential companies, when there was a knock on the door. Still listening to her assistant talk, Lily called for whomever to enter. She peeked out from under her arm to see Sebastian slide in the door and shut it softly behind him when he saw the pair of women talking.

Lily put up a hand to stop Jessica, telling her, "Just take names from everyone and we'll start sorting through them after the first show. But I want to see anything you get from the guys from ARC, Omni, and CP first. Also, see if you can get a minute from Joe at CAA. I'm on the fence right now about Carolyn and he'll have some good recommendations about this Rob fiasco anyway. And see if you can get room service scheduled for after the show. Steak sounds good tonight. I don't want to have to wait too long. See if Drew wants in on that, too."

Jessica nodded, jotting down notes as quickly as Lily gave them. She gathered up her things and was off to continue handling Lily's requests, smiling a quick hello to Sebastian on her way out. Sebastian watched her leave with a curious smile, pointing after Jessica when the door was shut.

"Back in diva mode, are we?" he quipped.

"Been a busy morning," Lily beamed, with a sly smile.

Sebastian walked over to the couch, sitting down on the end after he shooed Lily to move her feet. She stretched long again, laying her legs over Sebastian's lap as he went on. "Geez, you get your people back in town for one night and you're already cracking the whip."

"Yeah, well this multi-million dollar disaster you see before you takes _a lot_ of work to keep running," she smirked.

"Couldn't help to hear, are you really shopping around?" he asked.

Lily nodded. "Back in the market as of 8:30 this morning," she noted, proudly.

Sebastian eyed her with mild suspicion. "What'd you do?"

"I fired my manager," she shrugged.

"Lily," Sebastian said, sounding halfway to a scolding. "Are you kidding?"

"Why does everybody think this is a joke?" she wondered aloud, raising a hand briefly in question.

"Because you don't just wake up and decide to drop your manager of how ever many years like that," he explained the obvious. "What were you thinking?"

"That the guy's a dick," Lily offered. "That he's been nothing but a pain in my ass for years now and it was time to cut off some dead weight. Seriously, the guy didn't give a shit about me, and barely one about my career. All he was interested in was my earning potential and his 15%."

"Holy shit, Lil," he nervously chuckled.

"I know, right?" she smiled, more than a little giddy. "God, you have no idea how refreshing this is."

Sebastian took it all in for a moment. The surprise, Lily's smile and her seemingly new found enthusiasm. "Is that why you disappeared last night?"

Lily opened her mouth to answer, but paused for a moment in thought. "I guess so," she figured. "I couldn't even enjoy it. The party, I mean. It was a party for Christ's sake and all they want to do is go on and on about the next thing and the next one after that. I mean, we literally just had the first show and they're already 6, 8 months down the road of what they have planned for me." She folded an arm under her head. "You know, I told them about that script."

"Oh, yeah? What'd they say?" he asked.

"Like a ten minute scolding about taking a script that didn't go through the channels and a list as long as my arm about why it was a bad idea," she frowned.

"You're kidding," he insisted, doubtfully.

Lily shook her head. "Nope."

"That script's perfect for you," Sebastian said.

"So I had enough," Lily shrugged. "I had to get out, so I left. Went for a walk to clear my head."

"And you came back and decided to start chopping necks?" he joked.

"Kinda," she giggled. "Yeah, I guess so." Sebastian laughed along, shaking his head. "I'm just so sick of it all. The guy was...He was like a fuckin' leech. I mean, aren't they all, really? Some more or less than others, but that guy-" Lily groaned and shook her head. "Just seeing his name on an email or my caller ID and I'd get irritated. That's gotta be unhealthy."

"So," he began, "you burning down the whole forest or just trimming the trees?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't know yet," she admitted. "He definitely had to go. But I kind of feel like cleaning the whole house wouldn't be a completely bad idea either. It's a good start anyway."

"Speaking of good starts," Sebastian teased and Lily raised her brow in curiosity. "The critic reviews for opening night are in."

"Oh, my god," Lily breathed out, sitting up on her elbows. "I was having so much fun firing Rob this morning I forgot. How is it?"

Sebastian flashed a wide smile. "They loved it," he told her, proudly. "All of 'em. We're on top of the world, Lil."


	12. Chapter 12

By no means did Lily think that firing her overbearing manager would solve her problems. Realistically, she understood she was actually creating several potential nightmares when she did it. What she had hoped for was a return to a sense of control, over herself and her career. That she did get. The exhaustion of the first double performance of the short run, coupled with her late night and early morning before that, left Lily in bed long after the sun came up. When she finally stretched into the day just after 10 a.m., she felt rested and pretty optimistic for once.

She let her assistant know she was up for the day. Jessica caught up with her when Lily's brunch arrived. Together, they started sorting through an unexpectedly large number of replies and solicitations for her vacant management position. Just as she predicted, Lily's name alone was enough to make management companies and individual reps salivate. Some overeager perspectives sent proposals and drafts for her review while some played it cool and sent meeting and lunch requests. The names Lily already knew were moved to the top of the already tall, and still growing, pile.

In the mornings, Lily read through proposals and returned calls. Her evenings were spent on the stage, working the show through the end of its first week. Not surprisingly, her publicist and agent had become quite accommodating and friendly by the time they left New York. Before Sunday's matinee performance, Lily had already accepted meetings over the next few days with several representatives willing to fly out to the East Coast to wine and dine her and vie for the opening on her team.

Enjoying a fruit smoothie in her dressing room before Sunday's first show, Lily read over the details of a particularly interesting submission. She held up a finger in answer to her door opening while she sipped from the drink in her other hand and finished reading the end of a paragraph. By the time she had finished, Sebastian had already shut the door and dropped heavily into the couch beside her with an obnoxious groan for her attention. When he had it, and Lily finally looked up to smile at him, he flashed her a wide, toothy grin and asked what she was doing.

"Reading a contract offer," she told him.

Sebastian reached over and took the paperwork from her hand to look over. "Jesus," he halfheartedly complained. "Another one? You're like the village bicycle of management offers."

Lily nudged an elbow into his side. "Thanks a lot, a-hole."

He reached over again, snatching the drink from her hand and taking a casual sip while he read. "Picked a hell of a time to do all of this," he said, ignoring the scowl from Lily beside him.

"No time like the present, they say," she shrugged, smacking his leg when he took another drink of her smoothie and tugging it out of his hand.

"That's actually really good," Sebastian noted.

"The offer?" Lily asked. "Or my smoothie?"

"Smoothie," he nodded. "I lost interest in your contract after the first line. I was just wondering how many drinks I could get."

"I'll have Jess get you one next time she goes out," Lily smiled.

"She still here?" he asked, handing back Lily's paperwork.

"Until the show ends to help me get through all of these meetings and stuff," she nodded, before going back to her drink.

Sebastian kicked up a foot to rest over his knee and folded his arms to settle back into the couch. "Is she going up North or back to LA after the show?"

"North?" Lily questioned, slipping her papers under her arm on the side of the couch.

"Montauk," he reminded her, with a mix of annoyance and insult in his voice, leveling his eyes at her. "You're still going, aren't you? You forget already?"

"Oh," Lily said, her brow rising in realization of what he meant. "Oh, no. I haven't forgotten. It's just, all these-"

"I've got this all lined up, Lil," he said, still eyeing her warily. "You're not trying to screw me over for some martini luncheon with a suit, are you?"

"I don't drink martinis," she reminded him, with a wink.

"Lilian," he insistently scolded her, his chin dipping to give her an unamused scowl. "Are you seriously backing-"

"I'm not," she assured him, putting her hand up in surrender. "I'm gonna go." Sebastian glared at her a little harder and she clarified, "To Montauk. Jesus. I'm going to Montauk. Calm down."

"If you don't want to go," he began, folding his arms a little tighter across him.

"I do," she promised.

Sebastian's eyes ran over her, still suspicious. He half expected Lily to bail on the plan as soon as he heard about her firing her manager. If there was one thing Lily had, it was a good work ethic. He figured if she started taking meetings and haggling with attorneys she would end up focusing all of her attention on that and putting her social plans on the back burner. It wasn't a trait to not be admired, but, selfishly, it was one he wished for once she'd ignore and take the time to get away from work for even just a few days.

"You promised me bonfires and Fireball," she said. "We made a date. I'll be there."

His eye twitched in a final moment of doubt, before he gave a short sigh. "I pulled some favors to get this to happen, Lil," he pointed out.

"It won't go to waste," she told him. "I promise. When did you want to go?"

"Messenger dropped off the keys last night," he half-grumbled. "So, whenever."

"Don't get shitty," Lily chided him. "We're going. It's gonna be fun, just like you said."

"You need a break, Lil," he said, a little more accepting of her promise. "You've gone non-stop the last couple 'a years. You're gonna burn out if you don't slow down."

Lily scrunched down in her seat to rest her head on Sebastian's shoulder. "Yes, mom," she mumbled.

Sebastian shrugged his shoulder to nudge her head up, but she put it back again. "Quit being a shit," he muttered.

"Never," she smiled, nuzzling her head against him.

He uncrossed his arms with a low sigh and plucked the smoothie out her hand again. "You drive me nuts, sometimes. You know that?" he complained, taking a sip of her drink.

"I keep it interesting," she countered.

"Yeah, you do," he reluctantly admitted.

Sebastian pecked a kiss to the top of Lily's head and shrugged her off of him again, taking her drink with him as he stood and left. He thanked her for the beverage and told her he'd see her on stage, leaving her to sulk over her lost smoothie. Sebastian tipped the drink to Drew as he passed by him in the hallway. Drew snorted to himself, apparently realizing where the drink came from, as he gave Sebastian a nod in reply.

Lily's extra appointments for the week left her little time for herself. She took brunches in the hotel restaurant and early dinners in the bar before the evening shows. In between, she was attached to the hotel room phone or her cell phone, tied up with interviews and conversations about Lily's management needs and expectations. She would be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying all the ass kissing going on. By Thursday, she had narrowed the field down to three names she was interested in working with. Jessica was busy snooping around her connections to get the less formal opinions from the potential managers' current clients and their staff. Lily would be damned if she ended up getting schmoozed and stuck with another Rob. Her lawyers were already drafting stipulations to be worked into any agreements.

Lily took advantage of a free morning on Friday to get back to running with Drew. Fresh air and exercise were invigorating and, with the optimism about her new management prospects, Lily could feel the stress melting away. She treated herself and had Jessica squeeze in a half day at a spa for her late Saturday morning. Things were starting to look up again, to Lily. When she thought about work down the road, even just a month or two, she was eager, maybe even a little excited. It was amazing to her how one thing could bring so much change in her outlook and energy.

After the Friday night show, Lily and Sebastian were edged into the crowd at the counter for a late dinner at Katz's Deli. Once again, stealing Sebastian's hat to hide under, Lily dipped her spoon in and out of her matzo ball soup, listening while Sebastian described his friend's summer home in Montauk. He admitted early April wasn't the best time to be on the beach in New York, but the house had a fireplace in the living room and a pit on their beachfront patio to help pass the cool nights.

"So, all we need to do now is decide when we're going," Sebastian noted, before a stretching bite of his Rueben sandwich.

"Traffic's probably not a thing this time of year," Lily suggested.

Sebastian nodded, until he swallowed his food and could speak again. "Depends on what time we're trying to leave the city," he partially agreed. "You wanna leave first thing on Monday?"

Lily shrugged. "Monday's good," she nodded. "Or we could leave after the show Sunday night."

"And miss the party?" he wondered, chewing on a fry, as he gave her a curious look.

"Yeah," Lily reconsidered. "Guess it would be a bit shitty to skip that."

"A little bit," Sebastian agreed. "But, if you're that ready to go, we could head out after. Have some champagne, get our goodbyes in, and head out late night."

"This is starting to sound like a plan," she smiled, taking a steak fry off Sebastian's plate as he slapped at her hand.

"So, that's it then," he decided. "We'll get packed up Sunday and head out after the party."

Sunday's performances were bittersweet. A part of Lily was relieved to have the hectic week of meetings and performances over with, but the larger part of her realized she was leaving behind a wonderful project and group of actors and crew that she'd grown quite fond of. During the last curtain call, she couldn't ignore the pang in her chest or stop the tears welling in her eyes when the audience was on their feet for them for the last time. Lily wasn't the only one whose vision was blurred by their emotions. There was a long huddle of a sniffling group hug on the stage behind the closed curtain while the applause slowly faded. She was surprised by how much she was affected by the show ending, and tittered as she dabbed under her eyes with the side of her finger when she and her cast mates dispersed to change out of their costumes.

Once again, Lily and Sebastian shared a car to the after party. They worked the crowd waiting outside the stage door until they were confident everyone had had their turn for a photo or gotten an autograph. Lily had never been so gracious with her time after a show, and she regretted her selfishness when it occurred to her how rushed and short she'd been with her fans since arriving in New York. They were already late to their own party when the pair of stars finally ducked into the rented SUV. Instead of a hired driver, Drew chauffeured them for the night, having already packed their things into the car for the trip to Montauk while they were on stage.

If they had left town after the show, they would have been sorely missed. The heads and organizers of the Arts project were all in attendance. Streetcar had kicked off the series and the planners and promoters were over the moon with the show's reception and notably excited for the potential trend it hinted at for the rest if the productions. There were several photo and press opportunities at the event that Lily and Sebastian plainly could not have ignored. With so much more about their production to promote, the occasion turned out to be so much more than the traditional parties to celebrate successful runs. Lily realized the mistake it would have been to skip out early. Instead, she sipped champagne, smiled in more photos than she could count, and glad-handed everyone who came her way for the next few hours.

By one in the morning, Lily had said some teary goodbyes to her cast mates and smiled her last smile for a group photo with Julie and the rest of her temporary Broadway family. She sighed deeply and sank into the backseat of the car as Drew drove them out of town. Beside her, Sebastian patted her hand on the seat, flashing a warm and sympathetic smile when she turned to see him.

"You alright, Benny?" he asked, slipping his hand under hers and picking it up to drop and bounce with his on the seat between them.

Lily sent him a tired smile in return. "Yeah," she nodded. "Just a little sad it's over, I guess."

Sebastian snorted. "Only you could bitch and cause trouble at the start and then cry when it's over," he told her.

She gave him a halfhearted frown before a smirk. "A girl can change," she pointed out.

"That she can," he nodded, giving her hand a squeeze before letting it go. "But, now, it's time to change again and relax."

Lily hummed her agreement, turning her eyes out the window at the city passing by. She was quiet for a minute, before she mused, "This was a good trip."

"You think?" Sebastian smiled.

"It was," nodded, taking in the bright streets of Manhattan. "I can't even imagine what I'd be doing right now, if I hadn't come out here."

"Probably having a mental breakdown," Sebastian smirked.

Lily laughed. "Maybe," she supposed. She thought for a moment before continuing. "I probably would still be working for Rob. I _definitely_ wouldn't be going to Montauk."

"Wouldn't have all this wonderful quality time with me," Sebastian smugly noted.

"True," Lily giggled. "Very true. Can't forget all the good times being blackmailed and harassed."

"Blackmailed and hara-" he scoffed. "Listen here, Ms. Instagram, let me tell you a thing or two about harassment. You have no idea the shit I got from my friends about that."

Lily tried not to laugh, but her eyes betrayed her and a smile broke free. "People loved it," she said in her defense. "I'm the best porn publicist you ever had."

He rolled his eyes at her. "That's not a thing," he reminded her, with a humorless smirk. "And, even if it were, you wouldn't be mine."

"Why not?" she demanded, feigning insult. "I'd do a hell of a job."

Sebastian just stared at her. One long, unblinking and unamused stare, until Lily pointed a finger and slowly touched it to the tip of his nose and made a quiet "boop". His hard expression cracked and he shook his head with a laugh. He swatted her hand away and grumbled an unintelligible noise at her, unhappy that she got him to smile.

"You're a pain in the ass," he told her, with a fond smile. "You know that?"

"If I'm such a pain in the ass," Lily began, "how come you're taking me with you on vacation?"

"I do a little philanthropy every once in a while," he shrugged, looking out his window.

"I'm a charity case?" she snickered.

"Oh, the worst kind," Sebastian said, his face scrunching in a soured look. "I feel bad for you. God, it's- it's pathetic. Just look at you."

"God, you're a dick," Lily groaned, pushing into the side of his arm.

Sebastian chuckled, proudly. "If I'm such a dick, how come you're going on vacation with me?"

Lily tipped her head and looked at him with pitying eyes. "Oh, honey," she cooed. "For the only reason a girl goes anywhere with you."

"And what's that?" he asked, cocking up a curious brow.

"For the free trip," she shrugged, with a fiendish smile.

"Nice," he said, sarcastically, with a nod. "Real nice, Lil."

Lily puckered her lips to send a kiss in his direction before laughing. Sebastian closed his eyes and settled against the headrest behind him, with a small grin pulling back one side of his mouth. He folded his hands in his lap, hoping to catch a short nap before they got to the beach house. Sebastian opened one eye and turned just enough to see Lily.

"You're lucky I love you," he reminded her. "I wouldn't let anybody else get away with the shit you do."

"I know," she smiled.


	13. Chapter 13

Just after 4 a.m., the car slowed to a rumbling stop in the gravel driveway at the beach house in Montauk. Drew shut off the car, announcing they had arrived as Lily leaned over trying to see out the front window and see the beach. Security lights had snapped on when the SUV pulled in and Lily could barely see to the end of the house, let alone the water beyond the light. But when she opened her car door, the salt of the water wafted in. Sliding out of the car and stretching, Lily took in a deep breath of the fresh ocean air and shivered at the cold breeze gusting in off the water. She may not have been able to see it, but the sound of the waves crashing was enough to make her smile.

"You remembered the key, right?" Lily teased, calling around the back of the SUV as she shut her door.

Sebastian came around the car, patting at and digging through his coat and pants pockets. "Shit," he hissed, with a panicked look at Lily. He paused a beat before pulling out a small keyset from the front pocket of his pants, jingling them between his thumb and forefinger and giving Lily an incredulous scowl. "Come on," he frowned. "Really?"

Drew chuckled, opening the hatch of the SUV to start unloading the car while Lily came to join him. Passing by Sebastian, she muttered, "Prick."

"So what if I forgot?" Sebastian smiled. "My friends will be up on Friday. We could camp out on the beach for a week till they got here."

"This is a vacation," Lily pointed out, "not a survival show."

Sebastian snorted and grabbed his bag from the back of the car. Lily had a few bags from her couple months stay in the city and Sebastian helped by grabbing a large tote and slinging it on his shoulder. He inclined his head toward the house and led the way to the front door. A lamp left on in the foyer helped him find the light switches for the porch and hallway. Lily nodded her approval on her way through the door and she mumbled a comment of thanks that someone had left the heat on for them as well. A set of stairs led up to a master suite with what would be an ocean view in the daylight and large marble bathroom with a claw foot tub lined along a window to soak while you admired the view. There were three more bedrooms, two almost as large and another smaller one in the back corner of the house beside a small office, and another bathroom off the hall.

Everyone wrote off the master bedroom as the home owners were coming to stay with them in a few days. Sebastian insisted Lily take the larger bedroom, despite her argument that it was his friend's home and his favors that got them the house, so he should enjoy the nicest room. An argument was a generous overestimate of the situation. The first time Sebastian insisted, Lily accepted with a giddy smile, as if she had expected it all along. Drew and Sebastian had no preference for the other rooms and merely shrugged to agree they would each take the room they were standing closest to. Lily didn't bother unpacking. At the ungodly hour of the morning, all she needed was a change of clothes to sleep in.

The next morning, Lily tiptoed downstairs at almost 11. She didn't know if anyone was still asleep and didn't want to be the one to wake them after their late arrival. Lily took a quick look around the home. A large living room with a pair of plush couches took up the front corner of the house. There was a flat panel, big screen TV set above the mantle of a wide, wood burning fireplace. The depth of the room turned into a dining room with a table long enough to seat ten people and a wall of floor to ceiling windows that give a beautiful view of the beachfront. The other half of the first floor had an open gourmet kitchen, full bath, and an enviably equipped entertainment room with a billiards table and theater style seating ahead of a screen on one wall for a projector in the ceiling. 

Lily smiled seeing Drew sitting in the kitchen. He was hunched onto the high marble counter of the island in the midst of the stainless steel and the white cabinets. A cup of coffee in one hand to his lips and his phone in the other, his eyes ticked over to her coming into the room. Drew finished his drink of coffee and straightened up with a smile to wish her a good morning. Lily smiled back before a yawn. Drew seemed rested and ready, as always, and she envied him for it. Lily swore the man functioned flawlessly on only 5 hours of sleep on any given night, as long as there was a cup of strong coffee in the morning.

"Sleep well?" Drew asked, putting aside his phone and taking a seat on one of the barstools at the counter.

Lily nodded. "Like the dead," she smiled. "Although, I feel like the dead, too."

"Looong day yesterday," he noted. "Coffee's fresh. Made it about a half hour ago."

Drew pointed a finger at a cabinet and Lily peeked inside to find herself a mug. "Is Sebastian up yet?" she asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Went to the store," Drew told her. "You're the last one up."

Lily winced and then shrugged. Drew was right; it had been a long day before. Two performances, the cast party for the show after, and the drive upstate in the middle of the night, and Lily figured she'd earned the right to be the last one up. She didn't get the benefit of a nap in the car like Sebastian, and Drew- Well, Drew was a machine. She mixed her coffee and perched herself beside Drew at the island. Lily glanced over her shoulder out the tall windows of the back of the house, admiring the ocean just a couple hundred feet away.

A set of doors off the back of the kitchen led out to the deck raised over the sand. There were a few cushioned chairs and couch around a stone fire pit. After a minute of taking in the view, Lily decided to take her coffee outside. She took a seat in one of the chairs, pulling up her knees to her chest to sit sideways and face the water. She also curled up against the chill in the breeze, wrapping both hands around her mug to warm her fingers. The coffee warmed her insides and she sighed contentedly, appreciative to be there.

Her cup was almost empty and she was reading the last email on her phone, when she heard the door behind her open and shut. Sebastian walked out, settling into the end of the couch across from her with an unnecessarily loud sigh when he stretched out his legs in front of him. Lily looked over and snickered.

"Oh, my god," Sebastian groaned. "I'm tired."

"When did you get up?" Lily asked.

"Like 9," he frowned. "I don't know. Just couldn't sleep anymore."

"Did someone put a pea under your mattress, princess?" Lily joked, taking the last swallow of her drink.

Sebastian gave her a smirk. "Short list of suspects," he pointed out. "It was probably you."

"You have no proof," she winked. "Anyway, what'd you go shopping for?"

"Food," he said. "Got some stuff for the grill." Sebastian inclined his head for Lily to look over her shoulder to a small wet bar and grill at the edge of the deck along the house. "I can't remember the last time I could grill."

"Really?" she smiled, her brow rising in surprise. "What time's dinner so I can let the fire department know when to show up?"

"Very funny," he sneered. "Sass all you want. You can order in while Drew and I feast on lobster and steak and beer."

"What?" Lily smiled. "You're not trying to get my body guard drunk and woo him away with romantic meals, are you?"

"He is a good looking guy," Sebastian considered with a shrug and then laughed. "No, you can keep your body guard. I get by just fine on my own."

"Thanks," she told him. She set her phone and empty mug down on the floor beside her chair. "I have news about that script," she offered.

Sebastian folded his arms across him and rested his head onto the top of the cushion behind him. His brow raised with curiosity, he asked, "Oh, yeah? Good news or bad?"

"Good news," Lily nodded, with an approving pout. "It's been picked up."

"No kidding?" he smiled. "What'd you hear?"

Lily nodded, a small, but eager, smile on her face as she spoke. "Small budget, but it's going to start moving along."

"Well," Sebastian shrugged, "it doesn't seem like it needs a lot of production."

"It came with some notes about suggestions for scouting and stuff," Lily told him, "so it's already got some work put in. They're starting in with some of the casting recommendations, putting out some feelers to people."

"What about your part?" he asked, leaning on the armrest of the couch and propping his head on his fist.

"It's not mine yet," she pointed out. "Low budget. They might decide to save a few bucks and go with a smaller name."

"You're perfect for her, though," Sebastian argued, holding out a hand at Lily. "What's the girl's name? Emma?"

Lily shrugged. "Everything's about money now. You know that."

"Take a cut," he suggested. "Christ. It's not like you need the money anyway. Write in something off the back end."

"I was thinking about it," she nodded. "I think I'd let it go for this one."

Sebastian gestured out, seconding the obvious answer. "Did you tell them that?"

"It didn't come up," she shook her head. "It's just something I was thinking about."

"Well, they already sent out a script," he reminded her. "Obviously, somebody's thinking about things."

"I still need to audition," Lily noted.

"So, audition," Sebastian told her.

Lily groaned, rolling her eyes and tipping her head to lie on the cushion of the chair. "It's on the list of appointments to make."

"Long list?" he sympathetically asked.

She nodded. "Mm," Lily hummed. "It's getting there."

"Good time for a vacation," Sebastian smiled, looking out to the water.

"Delaying the inevitable," she assured him. "I'm just stockpiling it all for later."

"Just make sure the audition gets put at the top of the list," he told her.

"It will," she nodded before correcting herself. "It is."

"Why don't you just send them one?" he suggested and Lily picked her head up to give him a questioning look. Sebastian shrugged. "Tape something here and send it over."

Lily considered it with a thoughtful pout. She hadn't taped an audition on her own in years. It had become old habit to show up on the studio lot or fly out to the offices somewhere and perform in front of the casting directors or production staff in person. She actually couldn't remember the last role she auditioned for that wasn't live, with direction and feedback. But it was a possibility they offered her, knowing she was in New York a little longer after the play closed.

Lily scrunched up her nose, a look to say she was a little unsure. "They did say I could do that."

Sebastian sat up and leaned forward onto his knees, plainly intrigued. "So, let's do it," he offered.

"I don't know," she hesitated, her head lolling noncommittally to look out over the beach.

"It'll be fun," he assured her, opening his hands wide. "Why not? Just call 'em and have them give you some notes, a page number or email you a scene or two."

She looked back to Sebastian, warily. Lily could make all kinds of jokes that he was her biggest fan, but she had to admit, his enthusiasm was catching. She pondered it a moment and nodded, saying, "Okay."

"Okay," Sebastian repeated, his smile beaming. He settled back into the couch again. "I'll help you out. Everything goes well, and we could have you recorded by the weekend before Eddie and the wife show up."

"The wife?" Lily smiled. "She doesn't have a name or you can't be bothered to remember?"

Sebastian flipped her off. "Lisa," he told Lily. "Her name is Lisa." Sebastian chuckled when Lily held up her own middle finger to him. "This is gonna be a fun vacation."

That afternoon, from the kitchen island counter, Lily did email the director about sending in an audition. She asked for some scene preferences and other notes to be sent for her to prepare and Sebastian read over the drafted email to help. She was nervous, out of practice for these kinds of auditions. Lily hesitated a moment, her thumb hovering over the send button on her phone. From across the kitchen, Sebastian sent her a stern look, telling her to 'send it' and smiling smugly when she turned the screen around for him to see she had.

A few hours later, Lily had received a reply, an email with specifics notes and a call from the director. He asked her to record a pair of scenes from the script she had already been sent that he'd earmarked in his email. She was encouraged to play around with a few takes of each and send them over together. It would do while the project was in its infancy and he expected to have more requests of her and to get a live audition when casting began. Hearing the company she had for the weekend to help her, he was confident she could put together a good tape.

After dinner, Lily holed herself up in her room. Curled up in a comfortable armchair under a lamp in the corner of the room, she began rereading pages. She penciled small notes to herself on a notepad in her lap, ideas on motivation and inflection, trying to immerse herself in the writer's thought and purpose behind the scenes the film's director had asked her to use. Lily occasionally muttered to herself, softly running lines and trying some ideas. She would start memorizing in the morning.


	14. Chapter 14

The first full night in the beach house was a restful one. Lily woke up just after 8 o'clock. Opening her bedroom door, she could smell fresh coffee and bacon wafting up the stairs from the kitchen. She heard Drew and Sebastian laughing downstairs and took advantage of the free bathroom to grab a quick shower. She was too hungry to waste the time to dry her hair and skipped downstairs, hoping there was still some bacon left.

Turning into the kitchen, Lily returned the smiling good mornings from the pair of men at the kitchen island. Lily was a little behind the curve. In front of Sebastian and Drew were two empty, syrup smeared plates and half empty cups of coffee. She went to the cupboard to get herself a mug for some coffee and Sebastian stood, going over to the stove. He fired up the burner underneath a large skillet.

"Pancakes?" he offered, while Lily checked a couple of drawers to find a spoon.

She looked over, warily. "You made breakfast?"

"It's not poisoned," Drew assured her, before a sip from his mug.

Sebastian gave a smug jut of his chin and pointed his thanks at Drew with the end of a spatula. "See?"

"I'd love some pancakes," Lily smiled. She took her coffee to an empty stool next to Drew. "Is there any bacon left?"

"Plenty," Sebastian smiled, with an exaggerated nod. He pointed to a covered plate beside him on the counter.

"I'm surprised you guys didn't eat it all," she smirked.

"You're lucky Drew was here to stop me," Sebastian quipped, ladling batter onto the skillet. "He said you'd be inconsolable."

Lily nodded her agreement. "That sounds about right."

They all chuckled together and Sebastian turned away from the stovetop to lean against the counter. "Hey," he began, his brow knitting down as he folded his arms and looked at Lily. "Did you know Dirty Harry here has a fiancé?"

Drew snickered at Sebastian's latest nickname for him and Lily looked between the two men. "Yeah," she scoffed. "She's a legal assistant over at Paramount."

Sebastian tipped his head in acceptance of her answer. "Did you know that he hasn't seen her since you got to New York?" he mockingly asked, turning back to the stove to flip a pair of pancakes. "What kind of love hating life ruiner are you?" Sebastian tutted and looked over his shoulder at Lily. "Keeping him on the other side of the country like this, for two months."

Drew sipped his coffee, intent on staying out of the conversation until Lily's mouth fell open in offense and she pointed a finger his way. "Love hating life ruiner?" she repeated, plainly insulted. Lily turned to Drew. "Is that what you told him?"

"I did not," Drew said, straightening up in his seat and holding up a palm in innocence. 

Lily pointed her finger and gaze back at Sebastian. "I'll have you know," she began, in her own defense, "that I told him, since we were going to be gone so long, that if he wanted to take a weekend or something and have Liz come out for a trip I wouldn't mind." She swung her finger back to Drew and went on. "And you said?"

"That's okay. We're saving the money for the wedding and didn't need to blow it on travel," Drew dutifully chimed in, a suppressed laugh shaking his shoulders.

"What the hell kind of pittance are you paying this poor man that he can't afford a plane ticket?" Sebastian jabbed, moving the pancakes off the skillet and onto a plate. "And one weekend? You're too kind, Lil."

"Pittance?" Lily indignantly repeated. "I pay Drew _very_ well for what he has to do."

Sebastian poured another set of pancakes, a proud smirk on his face for the trouble he was giving Lily. "You should be ashamed of yourself," he shook his head. Sebastian glanced back at Drew. "You could have at least invited her out here."

Drew shrugged and Lily folded her arms on the counter. "I told him to," Lily said. "And you said?" she lead him on, holding out a palm at Drew to invite him to answer.

"She has to work," Drew chuckled, shaking his head.

"And before you even ask, _smartass_ ," Lily added, preemptively scowling at Sebastian, "I told him he could leave after the show."

"And he said?" Sebastian sarcastically chimed in, while Lily gestured for Drew to tell him.

"I said, another couple of weeks isn't a big deal," Drew shrugged with a smile.

Lily held out her hands to Sebastian, her raised brow daring him to keep trying to make it her fault. "There. See?"

Sebastian was tending the cooking and shook his head. "I think it's Stockholm Syndrome," he suggested. "I think you've got him brainwashed."

"He can go whenever he wants," Lily pointed out, ahead of a sip of coffee. "And what did you say?"

"That I'm supposed to keep an eye on you while you're in New York," Drew replied. "That considering the press you're starting to pull since the show and firing Rob, you need someone to keep things in line if someone figures out where you are. And, I pointed out, you're still technically in New York."

Lily pulled her folded arms to her chest, leaning back into her seat, and shrugged. "See? I can't get rid of him."

Sebastian threw a quick grin back toward the island as he added a few strips of bacon to the plate of pancakes for Lily. "That's very noble of you, sir," Sebastian nodded. "But she's entirely too much of a brat to deserve that kind of loyalty," he quipped, looking at Drew as he set Lily's breakfast in front of her. "You know that, right?"

"I do," he nodded.

"Oh, fuck the both of you," she grumbled, reaching for the bottle of syrup on the counter with one hand and a piece of bacon in the other.

Sebastian leaned his elbows down onto the island, giving Drew a thoughtful look. "Why don't you head home?" he offered. "Nobody knows we're out here. Hell, it's still April. There's only, like, 12 other people within 20 miles of this place."

"I'd think I'd sleep better knowing you have someone around to help," Drew said, looking at Lily before a sip of his coffee.

"And what the hell am I?" Sebastian scoffed, indignantly, straightening up from his lean.

Lily covered her mouth to hide her half-chewed food as she laughed out loud, unable to take Sebastian's offense seriously. "You're kidding, right?" she chuckled, still hiding behind her hand.

"No, I'm not," Sebastian pouted. "How many nights did you survive the mean streets of Manhattan with me while you let the Punisher over here have a night off?"

Lily giggled and, beside her, Drew snorted into his drink. "The mean streets of Manhattan?" Lily repeated. "Sweetie, you live in Tribeca."

Sebastian pointed a finger at her and cocked his head. "That's not the point," he said. "You're still alive, aren't you?"

"I am," she conceded with a smile. "Thank you for that."

"That's right," Sebastian muttered, jutting his chin at her.

"You do have a good track record, Mr. Stan," Drew smiled. "I'll take it under consideration." 

Lily paced. It kept her motivated, in a way. The beach house was comfortable and warm. It would be easy to just relax into a chair and lose hours staring at the water. She slowly stalked a path along the length of her bedroom and back again, script in hand, mumble speaking lines and glancing down for cues. The scenes she would use weren't long or technically complicated, but there was so much room for interpretation without a panel behind a table watching and giving her feedback or suggestions, to tell her what they wanted. It gave her a tinge of nervousness to know she was responsible for the final submission for her audition, and so she plotted several versions of everything to try.

There was a knock on her door that snapped her attention from studying a small note in the margin of her script. "Hey," Sebastian barked, from the hallway. "Keep it down in there, would ya?"

Lily laughed to herself and went to the door. "What, are you going out for Officer Krupki next?" she quipped, when she opened the door to Sebastian's smiling face.

"I always saw myself as a Tony, personally," he noted, thoughtfully squinting upward and laying a hand over his heart. Lily snickered and he looked down again, adding, "You could be my Maria."

"You remember Maria is Puerto Rican, right?" Lily sighed, with a small grin.

"Yeah," he scoffed. "So?"

"So, I'm from Seattle," she pointed out, rather flatly.

"Semantics," he said, wrinkling up his nose with a carefree shrug. "Anyway, dinner's gonna be ready in a few minutes. You coming down, or do you want to dine in your tower?"

Lily tossed her script book into a chair by the door and stepped into the hallway, edging past Sebastian and calling him a 'pain in the ass' as she went. She heard him snicker and his footsteps fall in behind her on the way downstairs. Lily thought she heard him humming softly as she reached the bottom of the staircase and she looked over her shoulder to check. A few steps above her, Sebastian grinned with a raised brow. He stopped before the bottom of the stairs and shrugged a question of why Lily had stopped. Lily shook her head in response and turned the corner into the hall toward the kitchen.

"Maria," Sebastian quietly sang. "Say it loud and there's music playing." 

Lily stopped and spun on her heel to face him, making him stop short to keep from running into her. "Are you-"

"Say it soft," he went on, his brow peaked wistfully over soulful eyes and his hand coming to his chest. "and it's almost like praying."

"Ohh, my god," Lily giggled, turning right back around and walking briskly to the kitchen.

"Maria," his voice swelled, as she walked away. "I'll never stop saying Maria."

"Is that West Side Story?" Drew asked, from behind an amused smile.

"Don't encourage him," Lily warned, in spite of her own grin she was trying to hide.

"Maria, Maria, Maria," Sebastian belted out as he stepped into the doorway of the kitchen. "Mariiii-ahhh."

Drew looked to Lily, quirking up one eyebrow. "Do I want to ask?"

"No," Lily emphatically told him, her eyes wide for emphasis. "You do not."

Sebastian chuckled. "You laugh now," he said, wagging a finger at Lily, "but I catch wind of a production and I'm setting up an audition for you and me."

"I wouldn't go," Lily playfully promised, taking up a plate from the stack on the counter beside the stove.

"Why not?" Sebastian frowned. "We killed Streetcar."

"I think I'd actually pay money to see you two do Westside Story," Drew chimed in and Lily threw him a sideways look over her shoulder. Drew shrugged, holding up his hands innocently at his shoulders before gesturing one out toward Lily. "What? He's right."

"See you twirling around, singing 'I Feel Pretty'," Sebastian suggested with a chuckle.

"I do that every day, when I get out of the shower," Lily winked.

"Let it never be said that you have a confidence problem," Sebastian told her.

"If he starts singing 'I Feel Pretty'," Drew began, getting in the short line at the counter to plate up dinner, "I'm going to lose my appetite."

"I could hum a few bars," Sebastian suggested.

"And then I could film it and put it online," Lily offered, her eyes bright with mischief.

Sebastian opened and then closed his mouth. He sent Lily an exaggerated scowl, following her with his eyes as she rounded the corner into the dining room with her meal. She flashed him an innocent smile and, when she was gone, Sebastian snorted quietly and shook his head. He turned back to the counter, taking up a fork and knife for his dinner. From the side of his eye, he caught Drew watching him with a smug smile.

"What?" Sebastian asked, a quick grimace on his face, as if he were offended by the attention, before he cracked into a grin.

The side of Drew's mouth pulled to one side and he casually shook his head. "Nothing," he shrugged.


	15. Chapter 15

After dinner was finished and the dishes cleaned, Lily had her script in hand, curled up in a chair in the living room. She tuned out the basketball game Drew had on TV and absentmindedly twisted a thin lock of hair as she reread her lines for the umpteenth time that day. She had lost track of Sebastian awhile ago. When he reappeared, walking in from the kitchen and through the dining room with a bottle of Fireball Whisky held up high, Lily couldn't help laughing out loud.

"Come on," he said, jerking a thumb behind him toward the beach outside. "Let's do this."

"Again," Drew began, looking at Lily, "do I want to ask?"

Lily shook her head. "No good will come of this."

"Ohh," Sebastian begged to differ. "This is gonna be great."

"Ohh, dear," Lily quietly said, still shaking her head slowly.

"Come on," he urged. "I already set shit on fire." Drew raised an eyebrow and Sebastian caught the look. "Outside," he explained, tempering some of his enthusiasm. "In the fire pi- You know what? Details aren't important. What _is_ important, is I promised Fireball and arson, and I've delivered."

"Man of your word," Lily agreed.

Sebastian's grin broke open into a toothy smile when he saw Lily fold her script closed and leave it behind on the chair. She has been a little too invested in her work that he was afraid she might actually say 'no'. He looked over at Drew and cocked his head, pointing at him with the end of the bottle in his hand. 

"Lancelot, come on, man. Shots," he tempted.

Drew put up his hand and waved him off. "Sorry. I don't drink when I'm working."

"How is this even remotely close to 'working'?" Sebastian asked, but Drew just shook his head 'no'. A disappointed sigh fell out of Sebastian and he gestured at Lily and then at Drew. "Seriously," he complained. "You've broken him."

"Oh, that's not me," Lily defended herself, putting up her empty palms. "He came that way. Won't even have a beer or glass of wine at dinner or when I'm locked up for the night. He's a pro."

"Actually," Drew said, through a tired groan as he stood from the couch. He checked his watch and turned off the TV. "I'm gonna check in with the fiancé and probably call it a night."

"You're completely shattering the image I had of you," Sebastian said after him, as Drew headed for the stairs. "You were supposed to be this ruthless, whisky swillin', fight machine."

"Sorry to disappoint," Drew chuckled and started up to his room.

"You're not quitting on me, are you?" Sebastian turned to Lily.

"When have I ever?" she smirked. Lily took the bottle out of his hand and started for the kitchen.

Sebastian stood still for a moment, smiling to himself and sticking his hands in his pockets. "I'll always have you, Benny," he said, loud enough for her to hear before he did an almost proper about face to catch up with her.

In the kitchen, Sebastian scuffed to a stop. Reaching for the door handle to go outside, he did a double take of Lily filling the kettle from the stovetop with water. She had put aside the whisky and had just turned on the burner on the stove, when he changed directions and slid into the counter beside her. He crossed his arms and looked between her and the stove and then back again, while Lily pulled a pair of mugs out of the cupboard.

"So, uhh. Hmm." Sebastian fumbled. "Whatcha doin'?"

"I am making us hot chocolate," Lily brightly announced.

"No hot chocolate," he disagreed. Sebastian tapped his index finger down on the cap of the bottle on the counter. "Fireball."

"Yes hot chocolate," she insisted. "Trust me."

"Why hot chocolate?" he asked and pointed to the bottle again. "Fireball."

"Yes," Lily smiled condescendingly, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. "It is. Good job."

Sebastian's brow furrowed and he quizzically hummed. "Alright, you lost me," he admitted.

"Shh," Lily winked. "Just wait. It's gonna be okay."

Sebastian alternated his gaze between Lily and the heating kettle while he waited. She didn't offer any further explanation, she only sent him pleasant grins beneath hopeful eyebrows whenever she caught him looking. The kettle started to whistle and she turned off the burner. Lily pulled down the container of instant cocoa from the cupboard shelf and a pair of spoons from the drawer near the stove. Lily measured out a couple of spoonfuls of the chocolate mix into each mug, topping it with the hot water and stirring well.

Sebastian's expression had turned bored by the time she twisted open the bottle of whisky. Grabbing the spoon of one mug, she added a generous helping of the Fireball to the hot drink and gave the spoon a couple of swirls to combine the flavors. She smiled proudly and slid the drink over to Sebastian. He stared at it for a moment, before Lily nodded insistently to him and went on to mix the next mug. Sebastian put the mug to his face, blowing a pair of cooling breathes over the drink. In front of him, Lily stirred her drink and took a swig off the bottle of cinnamon whisky before putting it aside. Lily made a small cough and shook her head.

"Been awhile, Julia Child?" Sebastian smirked.

Lily waved her hand at him and blinked hard. "Shut up and try your drink," she told him.

Sebastian blew another breath and took a sip. His brow wrinkled and eyes squinted down at his drink. Lily chuckled behind her grim, tapping her spoon on the rim of her cup before licking it clean. She stared, waiting eagerly for his reaction.

"Mm. Holy shit," Sebastian said. "What sorcery is this?"

"Told ya," Lily bragged, blowing over her own beverage.

She grabbed the bottle of Fireball and tucked it under her arm, inclining her head for Sebastian to join her outside. There was a roaring fire in the pit, as Sebastian had advertised. Lily shivered at the wind off the water and immediately went to the couch beside the fire, grabbing the chenille throw that was folded there. Carefully setting her mug down on the table next to the arm of the couch, Lily made short work of flapping out the blanket to drape over herself.

"Holy shit! It's cold," she laughed.

Sebastian sat down beside her, tugging at the edge of the blanket for her to share. "That's why there's a fire, dumbass," he teased.

Lily helped straighten out the blanket to share and elbowed him in the ribs, before she grabbed her drink again. "Keep it up, ya bastard," she warned, wrapping her fingers around the warmth of her mug, "and I won't share my blanket."

"You couldn't keep me from this blanket," he promised her, tucking his elbows over the throw pulled up on his chest. Sebastian held out his mug to Lily. "Look at us, Benny," he smiled. "Getting' wasted at the beach. Just like old times."

Lily laughed out loud and tapped her mug to his. "Just like old times," she agreed, with a beaming smile and firm nod.

An hour and a half later, the fire had been fed two more times and the Fireball was a little more than halfway gone. When the hot chocolate was gone, they sipped the whisky plain from their mugs. Sebastian and Lily passed the time reminiscing about the last fire on the beach in LA and sharing some misadventures they had on their own since. Lily complimented and congratulated Sebastian on his work with Marvel, regretfully acknowledging she should have brought it up a long time ago. Sebastian added another log to the fire and dismissed her apology, acknowledging neither of them had done a good job of keeping in touch like they used to and like they'd promised they would. 

"I really am a terrible person," Lily mused, tipping her drink to look into, when Sebastian stood to pile another log on the fire, "aren't I?"

"What are you on about now?" Sebastian asked, settling into the couch and fussing to flip the blanket wide over his legs. He shook his head at the out of the blue question before she even answered.

Lily's head lolled to the side on the back of the couch, still eyeing her drink. "I am a terrible person," she repeated, spelling each word out like an affirmation. 

"No, you're not," he groaned, with a sour look. "Where do you come up with this shit?"

"I am," she nodded. "It's all true. I'm a brat. I'm difficult to work with. Just ask my old manager. I'm terrible at staying in touch with people." Still considering her whisky, she gave the liquid inside a swirl as her brow rose and her lower lip pushed out with her disappointed confessions, before she added, "I don't even make time for my fans anymore."

"We're back on this again?" Sebastian asked, taking a sip of his drink. "You're not a terrible person." He paused. "I mean, you _are_ a brat, but you're not a terrible person."

"If I weren't, I'd make time for people," she argued, ignoring or agreeing with his joke. "I'd 'a at least managed to call you when I took the show...You know, the only time I actually gave to my fans was the night the show closed? Like, actually _gave_ , not just letting Drew or whoever rush me off?"

"You're busy, Lil," he corrected. "There's a big difference."

"Is there?" she wondered. "Am I? I shoulda at least called to say 'happy birthday'. Am I really so damned busy I can't pick up the phone or stand still for 15 minutes and sign things or pose with someone?"

"Probably not," he half-agreed. "So, why don't you just stop and stand still for 15 minutes?"

Lily's eyes widened as she puffed a breath out through her cheeks and shook her head. "I don't know."

"People go nuts for that," he reminded her. "I love it, meetin' people when I'm walking around. Don't get me wrong," he added, fanning a few fingers off his cup for a moment, "some people are a little crazy, but, man." He sighed with a small smile. "It can be fun."

"I used to do it," Lily shrugged. "Stopping for people on the street, outside of restaurants."

"Why'd you stop?" he prodded, nudging her elbow with his.

She tipped her head, thoughtfully, trying to pin down a reason. "I think when I came back, after college," she nodded, to herself. "I was gone for a few years. I got to lay low an' people maybe forgot about me a little. After the film with Baz, it just all blew up again and I was right back under the microscope. 

"Nobody can really be mean to a kid," she explained, with a contemplative frown. "But I was 20 the next time. I wasn't a kid anymore. Critics- people, they didn't have to be nice anymore. If somebody didn't like it, they weren't shy or polite about it. Somebody would just shout something on the street when I was shopping or the paparazzi'd be bringing something up. If I stood around long enough to listen, I figured that's all I'd hear. People aren't going to like me anymore."

"How could anybody not like you?" Sebastian smiled, warmly, picking his arm up from under the blanket to hug around Lily's shoulders. 

"Don't act like you don't know," she smirked, with a self-depreciating titter.

"You're not terrible," he assured her, giving her a squeeze. "You're busy, you're stressed, and you're self-conscious, maybe a little insecure. Get a therapist, like the rest of us."

"I'm starting to suspect he's getting tired of my shit, too," she chuckled, awkwardly.

Sebastian laughed and tipped his head over to rest on hers. "You're alright, Benny," he promised. "You gave all that time the other night after the show. That's something, right? You can give more, if you really want to. Just decide what you want to do. You already fired, what's-his-face. You're obviously making some changes. Just go with it." He took a drink and Lily gave a small nod. "People say things to hear themselves talk. They don't know you like your friends do. So who cares?"

"I do." Lily raised her hand to say she did and Sebastian tutted at her. 

"You're your own worst critic, Benny," he told her. "Just ignore yourself like I ignore you. Trust me, you'll get over it in no time."

"Why do I still talk to you?" Lily frowned.

"For my sage-like advice," he said. "For my friend's beach house and 'cause I buy you drinks."

"Oh," Lily mused. "That's fair."


	16. Chapter 16

Running lines so soon again with Sebastian was endlessly amusing to Lily. Her first smile about it was courtesy of Sebastian making his own copy of the scenes on a legal pad he found, so he could study the script on his own. When they hit a lull in enthusiasm or inspiration, she could always count on him for a silly face or joke. There was an occasional, and completely unnecessary, accent thrown in a few times. And when it was absolutely time for a break, he would literally throw the script or his hand copied pages on the floor and declare James Dean, or any other vintage Hollywood actor that came to mind in the moment, 'never had to work this hard for a dame'.

Lily quickly had her scenes committed to memory. The amount of dialogue was far from as overwhelming as the acts of a play could be. She carried two of the three scenes she was asked to prepare. The third scene was practically and equal share of time with the male character and Sebastian studied his handmade script for hours at a time to catch up with Lily. By Thursday, they were ready to start putting scenes on tape. They set up in the upstairs office, figuring out the framing for themselves while they used the desk or bookshelves to hold Lily's cellphone to record.

They filmed several takes of scenes in the afternoon. Lily and Sebastian hunched over her phone to watch their 'playback' each time and give each other notes. Nitpicking over the pacing of deliveries and inflection, they deleted early takes and labeled ones they liked best with numbers in the title so they could vote on which to send on later. Lily was the most critical of the last scene they ran after dinner for the audition. Instead of running lines off camera with her, this time, Sebastian had stepped into the scene to give her something more to play off of.

"Don't do this to me, please," Sebastian begged, eyes damp and wounded, grabbing at her arm.

"To you?" Lily asked, begging for clarification, an undercurrent of resentment seeping in. "To _you_?"

"Baby," he apologized, "no. You know what I mean."

"I'm sorry," she said, in a hush. "I want to stay. I do, but I can't. Not anymore. Not if it means living like this."

"Emma, stay," Sebastian implored, pulling her back by the wrist as she tried to leave. "I'll fix this. I can make it right. Just stay. Don't walk on out me."

"This _never_ gets fixed," Lily complained, the words filled with hurt. "We've been through this so much already. Every time, I hear the same thing, the same promises. Over and over and over again from you...And maybe it's good again, maybe we're okay for awhile...But it always comes back. How long is this promise good for? How can I believe you?"

"I don't know," he confessed. "I- I just need you to."

There was a tense pause while Lily's eyes searched his. "You lied to me," she told him, a broken whisper threatening a sob. "I don't even know how many times before this. And I fall for it. _God_ , I can't even believe I fall for it. Like I'm still some lovesick teenager...every damn time."

The lines were meant to cut like a knife and Sebastian let her go, taking a step back, mouth agape and taking a breath to catch himself. "I know I hurt you," he admitted, his head dropped in shame and remorse, before he looked up with new purpose. "I'm a failure, a disappointment. I know I let you down...But, dammit, I'm gonna stop. I will. It all ends here," he insisted, ducking his gaze to follower hers as she turned away from him. "Emma- I love you...Don't go. Can't you see, I need you, baby? I'm no good without you. You're- You inspire me, everyday. Don't take that away, please."

"I can't take that kind of responsibility anymore," Lily shook her head.

"Baby, I love you," he insisted, hooking an arm around her waist to turn her back to him. "Stay with me. Marry me! Sweetheart, I swear, no more lies. No more broken promises. Emma, I'll never hurt you again. I'll make you smile everyday, make you proud. Anything you want, I'll do, I'll give it to you. Let me try. Just- Please." His eyes searched hers. "Tell me you still love me."

Lily shook her head, slowly at first but ending with confidence. "This was it. You broke my heart...I don't think I could live through it again," she warned, her resolve returning despite her welling tears and the crack in her voice. "I'm sorry, Pete. I am so very sorry, but I don't. I can't."

There was a pause, a long look they exchanged, before they both let out a small cough of laughter to break the scene. Sebastian stepped away, tapping the stop button on Lily's phone set up on the bookshelf in the office upstairs. Lily dragged her thumbs under her lashes, blinking and wiping away any trace of tears. She bit her lip, waiting with nervous curiosity for his verdict.

"I think that was it," he smiled, taking up the phone and turning back to Lily. "You want to look at it?"

Sebastian held Lily's phone out for her to take. "I don't think I need to," she shook her head. "That was okay, right? That felt pretty solid to you, right?"

He smiled, watching her eye the small screen in her hands. "I thought it was good," he nodded. "I'd go with that one. Actually, I think you've got all of the ways they want. But that one," he nodded, with a confident pout, "that felt _really_ good."

Lily scrunched up her nose and nodded. "I think so, too."

"That was great," Sebastian smiled. "I'd give you the part."

"Well," she smirked, "you're not exactly impartial."

Sebastian nodded and laughed, taking up the open script from the office desk. "That's true," he conceded. "But, still, it's like this was written for you. You do this and it's gonna get you some reviews."

"It's such a good script, right?" Lily agreed, her eyes wide and lit with excitement.

Sebastian nodded, charmed by her enthusiasm. "They pull this off the right way," he began, raising up the script in his hand, "and this'll be the one that gets you that first Oscar."

A rush went through her. Lily had been excited about the script from the first time she read it in New York. She felt it, too. Emma was an intricate character to play, packing a gamut of emotions into one film. It was the kind of story actresses dream about, one that could define a career. All they had to do was keep true to the writing and find the right actors to play opposite her.

Lily smiled shyly and shrugged off the notion, though. The thought had crossed her mind, but she didn't have the nerve to say it out loud. She didn't have the part yet and she didn't want to jinx herself or her chances. She also still had enough humility and self-doubt to feel awkward about agreeing. But she liked the support Sebastian offered and was just as excited by running some of the scenes with him as she was intrigued by his performance. It was the third version of this scene that they decided to keep, the two before angry and this one played with heart and it had her reminiscing about some of his striking television roles.

"This," she said, holding up her phone. "This was amazing. I think this is the one over the other two we liked. It just feels better this way. Angry was good but this-"

"This is the way to go," Sebastian confirmed. "I think this is how they'd want it to play out. It just kinda flows better this way, with the stuff ahead and behind it."

Lily nodded her agreement, adding, "You were so good. This really needed someone to play off of. I just- I mean, wow. How come we've never screen tested together before?"

"I don't know for sure," Sebastian shrugged, "but I'd be willing to bet it has a lot to do with the distinct differences in our resumes."

"They don't know what they're missing," Lily assured him. "You deserve better."

Sebastian shrugged and Lily thought she might have seen a quick flush come and go from his cheeks when he ducked his head. "I'm doin' alright, lately," he smiled.

"Well," Lily told him, "if you ever need a reference..."

The air wasn't as cold as it had been a couple nights ago, but it still warranted a blanket and fire to tolerate the breeze. Sebastian built a fire in the pit on the deck again. Drew declined to join in, saying again that he was going to call his fiancé and go to bed. Sebastian promised to drink a shot for him 'in honor of people everywhere, like him, who are no fun'. Drew just smiled and waved his good night.

In celebration of their successful audition recordings, they elected to finish the open bottle of Fireball in its pure form. Sebastian and Lily shared the blanket on the outdoor couch, bottle of Fireball on the deck by Sebastian's feet to keep glasses from running dry. They traded some laughs and a few stories from sets they'd been on while they were apart. Mostly they talked about upcoming projects in the summer and about Lily's script.

"How do you do it?" she asked, tucking some lose hairs behind her ear, helpless against the breeze. 

"Do what?" Sebastian asked.

"It," she smiled, gesturing with the glass in her hand out to the great beyond in front of her. "You just fall into everything. It's so easy, so natural. That walk out scene with Pete and Emma. You go from feeding me lines out of frame to walking into the scene and nail it, on the first take. How do you do that?"

Sebastian shrugged. "You mean like, how to find Pete's motivation?"

"It's not like you even find it," she went on. "It's like a light switch. You looked at that scene for a day and, boom, all of a sudden, the light goes on and you're there." She snapped her fingers. "You're Pete."

He snorted and took a drink. Sebastian made a quick face at the burn of the liquor in too large a swallow and shrugged, telling her, "How do we all do it? You just sorta find that link, figure out which part of you you can use to put yourself in their shoes. I don't know."

"It was so much fun, doing that with you," Lily smiled over at him and touched her head briefly to his shoulder. "Such a short time to prep and just hit all the right notes? That was amazing watching you work like that."

"Of course it was," he arrogantly scoffed, throwing back the small shot left in the bottom of his glass. 

Lily giggled, elbowing him under the blanket. "No, seriously," she insisted. "I'm glad you're getting all these roles lately. You deserve it. You are _long_ overdue."

"Whatever," he snorted, quietly.

"I mean it," Lily assured him. "You don't give yourself enough credit. I can't think of anyone who does what you do. Every character you play, you just-" She paused, searching for the way to describe it. "It's so real. It's raw and visceral. You're not just playing them, you are them."

"Alright," he groaned, with a smile, taking the empty glass from Lily's hand. "I think you've had enough for one night."

Lily laughed. "No, I mean it," she promised. "I don't know anybody who makes you _feel_ it like you do." Free of her drink, Lily tucked her arm back under the blanket. "God," she sighed. "The things you can do breaks my heart sometimes."

Sebastian laughed, a loud and doubting one, setting aside the empty glasses on the couch beside him. "What do you have to kiss my ass for?" he asked, curling the blanket over his hands at his chest. "Trying ta suck up for the beach house, or what?"

Lily grinned and nodded. "Go on, be humble," she shrugged. "But it's true. Just playing off of you today, I didn't have to work even half as hard as I should have to get the tears going. You make it so easy. I almost forgot, for a moment, we weren't Pete and Emma. You really did make me feel that."

"Definitely too much to drink," Sebastian emphatically nodded. 

"You need to be my Pete," she told him, shifting to angle herself on her shoulder to see him better.

Sebastian snorted and shook his head. He tutted, giving her a wary side eye before he scoffed, "Are you kidding?" 

"I'm dead serious," she promised, with a firm nod. "I'm gonna call 'em."

"Call who?" he asked, giving her a sideways look.

"Jason," Lily told him. "Or whoever's running casting. He'll know."

"Reitman?" Sebastian doubted. "The director?" Lily nodded and Sebastian's mouth gaped in a silent cough as he shook his head. "You are definitely drunk, Lil," he asserted.

"I'm not as think as you drunk I am," she winked, nudging him again. "By the way, where's my drink? I know we can't be empty."

With a roll his eyes and a half-smile, Sebastian reached over and gave her back her glass. He leaned down to take up the bottle, passing off his own cup for Lily to hold while he unscrewed the cap and split the last of the Fireball between the two glasses. Settling one arm back under the blanket, he took his drink back from Lily, with a small shake of his head.

"We should do a movie together," Lily decided, swirling the liquor around in her glass before a sip.

"Yeah," Sebastian agreed, with an exaggerated nod and discerning gaze. "Let's remake Bonnie and Clyde."

"No. Let's be Thelma and Louise," Lily suggested, with a laugh.

Sebastian almost spit out his drink at the idea, his eyes tearing as he choked down the alcohol in his mouth and shook his head. He held up a finger for her to give him a moment to compose himself, before he offered, "Benny and Joon."

"Am I still Benny?" Lily wondered aloud.

"This time, you'll be Joon," he told her.

"Figures," she grumbled, unable to fight off a smile. "How about Mr. and Mrs. Smith?"

"I could go for that," Sebastian nodded, thoughtfully. "We could be the new Harry and Sally."

"Aww," Lily cooed, tipping her head to the side. "That's one of my favorites." She straightened up, with a new resolve, saying, "No. You can't mess with a classic."

"Aw, come on," he insisted, elbowing her gently in the side. "We could do it. We already got the friends for years part down. What's so hard about the rest?"

Lily took ahold of a lock of her hair and studied the ends. "Would I have to get a perm?" she frowned. "I don't want to be Sally if I have to get a perm."

"Would I?" Sebastian asked, trying to picture himself with Billy Crystal's hair.

Lily laughed. "I think we could let it slide," she nodded.

"Okay," Sebastian declared. "So it's decided. No perms, but we're doing When Harry Met Sally."

"No," Lily shook her head. "It's still too perfect to mess with. You just can't get that 80's Meg Ryan rom-com magic nowadays. Some 20-something year old, hipster writer would come in and butcher it trying to modernize it all."

"Well, we won't let them," he assured her, tipping his glass in a promise. "Besides, I'd pay money to watch you do the deli scene."

Lily pulled a hand up from under the blanket to give him a smack on the arm, with a halfhearted look of offense on her face. "I bet you would, you dirty old man," she smiled, tucking herself back in.

"That'd get you your elusive Oscar, I bet," he snickered into his drink.

"So many good scenes in there, and that's the only one people know when someone mentions the movie," Lily tutted and shook her head.

"That's not true," Sebastian disagreed. "I know lots 'a people who like better scenes."

"Like..." she lead him to go on.

"Okay," he nodded once. "The scene were they're on the phone watching the movie together an' he's telling her why she's high maintenance."

"That does sound like you and me," Lily mused, taking a small sip of her drink to conserve the last bit of Fireball.

"The karaoke scene," he went on. "The museum scene."

"Pecan pie," she agreed, with a thoughtful rise in her brow.

"The end," Sebastian added. "Everyone loves the end."

"Mm," Lily hummed, with an approving nod and wistful smile.

"I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out," Sebastian said. He shifted in his seat to look at Lily, when she snickered at the line. "I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts."

"You've seen this one before," Lily giggled.

"I love that after I spend the day with you," he continued to recite, "I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." Sebastian paused a beat while Lily looked at him with an enthralled grin. "And then she says she hates him."

"Ohh," Lily sighed, her face turned up to the sky. "Now that's love." She gave his arm a push under the blanket. "And look at you," she gushed. "Spitting out lines. Very nice."

"It sticks with you," he shrugged. "Especially when it reminds you of people."


	17. Chapter 17

Just before midnight, the fire was burning down and the Fireball was long gone. Lily went on a short tirade about how Hollywood was ruining itself with terrible remakes and reboots of movies that were just fine the way they were in the first place. Sebastian watched her complain with a small grin of amusement at how much she cared about the topic. He wasn't sure if the passion behind the rant was all natural or if it came courtesy of the alcohol, but he laughed when he asked her about it and she huffed, crossing her arms under the blanket and calling him a jerk. Despite his apology and asking her to go, she kicked the side of his foot with hers and refused, pouting.

"You keep that lower lip stuck out like that," Sebastian warned, "and a bird's gonna come along and shit on it."

Lily's mouth fell open and her brow creased. "That's terrible," she chided him.

Sebastian laughed. "I'm just trying to warn you," he told her. "If you're gonna pout, take it inside. There's no sad faces on the beach."

"I think it _is_ time to go inside," she said, inclining her head toward the dying fire.

"I could throw another piece on," Sebastian offered.

Lily wrinkled her nose. "Nah," she shook her head. "It's getting late. Aren't your people coming tomorrow?"

He nodded. "After Lisa gets off work."

"Am I gonna like them," Lily wondered, "or is this gonna be super weird for everyone?"

"You're going to like them," he assured her. "You're really gonna like when Eddie makes dinner. He opened up this fusion restaurant in the West Village a couple years ago. Oh! It's incredible. You'd love it. And the wife's an accountant. She's a real sweetheart."

"Why do you call her 'the wife'?" Lily asked.

Sebastian shrugged, with a frown. "We always called her that," he explained. "Who's Eddie on the phone with? The wife. Where'd you get that watch? The wife bought it for me." He shrugged again. "She's 'the wife'."

"Is that what you'd call your wife?" Lily laughed, shaking her head.

"Maybe," he considered. "The wife. Wifey. Probably 'the old ball and chain'."

"I pity the woman who marries you, sir," she told him. "Ball and chain. Geez."

Sebastian chuckled. "What're you going to call your husband?"

"Well," Lily said, tipping her head thoughtfully, "I guess it would be easiest if I just called them by their number. Husband Number 1, Number 2..."

"How many husbands are you gonna have, woman?" he laughed.

"I imagine several," she smiled, fiendishly.

"Gettin' a little greedy there, aren't ya?" he asked. "All at once, or are you planning on spacing them out?"

"Probably a new one every couple years or so," Lily said.

"Who you trying to be? Liz Taylor?" Sebastian chuckled. "Why do you need so many?"

"Oh, come on," she scowled. "You see how well I hold onto a boyfriend. A husband doesn't stand a chance. Numbers will be the most efficient way of keeping track."

Sebastian shook his head. "You're depressing, Lil."

Lily chuckled. "Just being a realist," she shrugged.

"Why don't you just marry me?" he suggested and Lily laughed out loud. Sebastian chuckled and gave her a nudge. "You're gonna hurt my feelings, laughing at me all the time like that."

"I would ruin you," Lily promised him, consolingly patting her hand on his knee under the blanket.

"You'd try," Sebastian said, cocking up an eyebrow.

"I'd never forgive myself," she told him. "You're so young and innocent."

"You got a pretty big ego there," he noted.

"Confidence is key," she winked.

"Okay. Fine," Sebastian nodded. "Ten years, then."

"Ten years, then what?" Lily wondered.

"In ten years," he elaborated, "if neither of us is married, we'll get married to each other."

"Ten years?" she asked, miming as if she were checking an imaginary watch. "From today?"

"From today," he confirmed.

"You wanna meet on top of the Empire State Building?" Lily offered. "Maybe drop a ring in a glass of champagne? Something else cliché?"

"Oh, Benny," Sebastian sighed. "I want all of the clichés with you."

"You're such a romantic fool," she shook her head, with a smile. Lily folded the blanket aside and stood up, wrapping her arms tightly around herself to fight of the sudden chill. "Who are you kidding? You're not gonna be available in ten years to marry."

Sebastian followed suit, bunching the blanket in one arm as he stood and grabbing his glass and the empty liquor bottle to take inside. Lily picked up her empty glass and turned to head inside. She held the door open for Sebastian and locked it when the were both in, shivering off the cold in the comfortable warmth of the house. With the blanket dropped onto one of the stools at the kitchen island, Sebastian held out his hand to take Lily's cup. Lily picked up and folded the blanket while he put the glasses in the sink and dropped the empty bottle in the garbage can. She held the throw out to Sebastian as he came around the island again, unsure where it went.

He took the blanket with a warm smile, leaning over the corner of the island to kiss Lily's cheek softly. "Goodnight, wifey," he smiled.

"I would never let you call me 'wifey'," she called after him, as he disappeared into the hallway to go upstairs.

Lily was the last one downstairs the next morning, not that she minded. That's what vacations are for and Lily couldn't recall how long it had been since she could sleep in someplace quiet and far from work or distractions. She took Drew up on his offer for a run on the beach after she had breakfast. Sebastian joined them when they went into town for some window shopping and lunch at Gosman's Dock. As predicted, the stars went unnoticed on their excursion. As Sebastian explained, no one expected them up there, so why would anyone bother to notice.

Back at the house, Lily felt compelled to tidy up the place. By no means was it a mess. For a house that size with three adults staying in it, the worst mess was a few stray dishes in the sink. In the kitchen, when Sebastian asked Drew, purposefully loud enough for Lily to hear, if 'the princess' was actually doing her own laundry, they both couldn't help but chuckle. Pulling the bath towels out of the dryer in the small hallway laundry room, she flipped them off as she went by and sat down in the living room to fold the warm towels. Sebastian followed, taking a seat in one of the arm chairs.

"You know," Sebastian began, watching her work, "you're on vacation. Also, nobody's gonna care about a couple used glasses in the sink or wrinkled towels."

Lily shrugged. "We're still guests here," she reminded him. "There's nothing wrong with helping to take care of the place."

Sebastian smiled, settling back into his chair. "Look at you, all domesticated," he noted, with a smirk. "Honestly, I didn't know you had it in you."

"That I don't know how to do a load of laundry?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "Oh, please."

"See?" he pointed out. "You're already such a good wifey."

Lily stopped, dropping her hands, and the towel she held, into her lap. Shaking her head, Lily told him, "Don't call me wifey. That's terrible."

"Why not?" Sebastian chuckled, completely intent to keep calling her that, now that she asked him not to.

"It's lazy," she told him. "It's uninspired."

"Okay," he shrugged. He waited a beat before adding, "Whatever you say...wifey."

Lily pursed her lips into a frown to fight the smile threatening to show, as she shook her head at him. "Nope," she told him.

"You like it," Sebastian quietly, and smugly, assured her. "You're gonna hear that for the rest of your life."

"I'd murder you in your sleep before I let that happen," she promised him, with a stern look up through her brow as she reached for another towel to fold. "Smothered by a pillow."

"Did I miss something?" Drew asked, coming into the room and panning his gaze back and forth between Lily and Sebastian. "Who are we murdering and why?"

"And Drew will help hide the body," Lily added, nodding her head Drew's way as he sat down on the far end of the couch.

"Usually, I'd say the less I know the better," he started, "but I'm too curious, now."

"Me," Sebastian admitted. "She means to murder me in my sleep."

"I see," Drew nodded with a shrug, as if it weren't entirely unexpected. "What did you do to deserve that?"

" _Apparently_ ," Sebastian groaned, flipping a playfully disappointed hand at Lily, "she doesn't like to be called 'wifey'."

Still looking at Sebastian, Drew pointed across him towards Lily. " _She_ doesn't like being called 'wifey'?"

"Apparently not," Sebastian helplessly shrugged. "I don't know why." He leveled his eyes at Lily. "But she better get used to it, if we're gonna make this marriage last."

"If what's going to last?" Drew asked, one eyebrow rising in curiosity.

Sebastian gaped at Lily. "You didn't tell him we're getting hitched?" Lily rolled her eyes. "I think he, of all people, should be one of the first know, if he's going to have to handle security for an event like that."

"So, when's the big day?" Drew checked. "Should I put this in the calendar?"

Drew shrugged behind a tight lipped smile when Lily shook her head at him. "Don't encourage him anymore," she begged.

"In ten years," Sebastian went on, ignoring Lily's petulant whine. "When no one else will have her. That should give you plenty of time to get everything squared away, right?"

"If that's the case, shouldn't be a problem, Mr. Stan," Drew confidently nodded. "Plenty of time."

"I'm surrounded by idiots," Lily huffed, picking up the laundry basket and heading upstairs.

Behind her, Drew and Sebastian chuckled. When they heard her door shut upstairs, Sebastian broke into laughter. Sebastian sighed out his amusement, straightening himself in his chair. Drew took a look toward the hallway, looking to be sure Lily had gone. He turned back to Sebastian, cocking up a wary brow.

"You didn't actually propose to her, did you?" Drew checked.

Sebastian had just taken his phone from his pocket and froze, halfway through tapping in his unlock code on his screen. "No," he scoffed, wrinkling his nose and shaking his head, his expression saying the idea was preposterous.

"See," Drew began, leaning his elbows onto his knees, "I know it may seem like a fun joke or somethin', and you two go back a ways, but she's not a toy to be played with."

Sebastian shifted in his chair to face Drew, turning his phone down on his leg and emptying his hands. "No, I know," he promised. "I wouldn't-"

"I've watched guys come and go," Drew interrupted, his eyes intently set on Sebastian's, "that make these jokes and string her along and I never laugh. Because, at the end of it, he's just another asshole looking to get his fifteen minutes and whatever else he can get out of her."

"Hey, come on, now," Sebastian complained, raising a hand to stop him.

Drew ignored him, going on to say, "She doesn't deserve that. I've worked for her for six, almost seven, years now. Even though she signs the checks, I consider her as good as family and that's what makes me so good at my job. She doesn't really have any of her own to keep an eye on her anymore." Sebastian opened his mouth to speak, but was shut down by the flex of Drew's jaw and the finger he raised to signal Sebastian he wasn't finished. "Six years and I've seen _all_ kinds. Don't think for a second that I won't break the neck of the next asshole who comes along thinking he's going to run some game on her for a little notoriety or some other bullshit."

"Drew, hey, listen," Sebastian said, eyeing the formidable body guard warily. "I'm not trying to pull anything. I swear, I'd never try to hurt Lil's feelings or use her for anything. She's my best friend. I love her. You wanna snap necks, I'm right there with you."

Drew stood up, looking down at Sebastian from across the room. Sebastian felt his spine stiffen and pulse rise, bracing for whatever else he had coming from Drew.

"When you actually do get off your ass and tell her you love her," Drew told him, "just make sure she knows you're not making another joke."

Sebastian blinked. "Jesus fucking Christ," he breathed out, eyes sizing up Drew. "You are a scary son of a bitch."

"I know," Drew nodded, turning to head out of the room. "That's also why I'm so good at my job."

Sebastian took a deep breath, slumping back into his chair. Drew rounded the corner and disappeared into the hallway. Sebastian leaned up again, doing a double take to see if he was gone. He muttered a soft profanity and wiped his hand down his mouth, the edge of his hand hanging for a moment on his chin, contemplating what Drew had said and a little startled that Drew knew.


	18. Chapter 18

Lily's ears pricked. She thought she had heard car doors shut, but her room was on the wrong side of the house to see the driveway. She stood from her chair, asking her assistant on the other end of the line to 'hold on' as she dropped the phone from her ear. Peeking out into the hall from her doorway, Lily heard the door open downstairs and Sebastian's energetic voice.

"It's about damned time," he laughed. There was a shuffling of footsteps on the hardwood floor, as he went on, "It's getting late. I was starting to wonder."

"Made an extra stop on the way," an unfamiliar man's voice explained. "Had to stop by the in-laws to drop off something. But, hey, the house is still standing."

"Oh, ye of little faith, my friend," Sebastian said and there was laughter.

Lily dismissed herself from her call, giving herself a quick once over in the mirror of her dresser. She was a pro at meeting and charming people and had a hard time thinking of anyone she hadn't won over. But meeting Sebastian's friends made her uncharacteristically nervous. She wanted to make a good impression, so they wouldn't regret opening their house to her. She didn't want to be a disappointment or embarrass Sebastian. She pulled in a deep breath and smoothed a few loose hairs away from her face, heading downstairs. 

At the bottom of the stairs, Sebastian stood in the foyer by the open front door, smiling and giving a wobbling hug to a petite woman with raven black hair and an infectious smile. Lily slowed her descent, inching down the last few steps as she was greeted by a warm smile from the man behind the new voice. A few inches taller than Sebastian, the brunette stepped around to greet her, holding out his hand.

"Wow," he smiled. "You're Lily Benjamin." They shook hands and Lily humbly smiled. "Lemme just say, I am a _big_ fan. I just- _Wow_. Lily Benjamin is in our house. Geez. You're- Just, wow."

Sebastian clapped his hand on his friend's shoulder, with a chuckle. "Down, boy. The wife's right there," he teasingly reminded him. "Pull yourself together."

The woman stepped forward, extending her own hand to meet Lily's. "Hi," she said. "I'm Lisa." She gestured to her husband, with an apologetic smile. "This is my chronically enfeebled husband, Eddie."

"Nice to meet you both," Lily smiled. 

"I'll apologize for him right now," Lisa offered. "He's had a crush on you since he was in college."

"Since college?" Lily laughed, trying to sort her filmography in her head and wondering which film caught his eye. 

"Yeah," Lisa sighed. "Ever since he saw that one where you were Kevin Costner's daughter, like in the-"

"Oh," Lily recalled. "Yeah, 'Night's End', right?"

"That's it," Lisa nodded. "I mean, I liked it, too."

"Yes," Sebastian playfully groaned and rolled his eyes. "We all love Lily." Everyone chuckled. "How 'bout we get your stuff inside and close the door?"

"Gimme a hand with the bags," Eddie told Sebastian, tipping his head outside.

The men disappeared out the door and Lisa peeled off her jacket, as Lily offered her appreciation. "You have a beautiful home. I can't thank you enough for letting us come out here."

"Oh, it's no trouble," Lisa smiled, swiping a hand through the air. "Happy to. It's time to start getting this place opened up for the summer anyway. I don't think we get enough company out here to enjoy it with."

"Here we go," Sebastian declared, coming back through the door with a bag over his shoulder and an open top box full of wine bottles rattling together with each step.

Lisa hurried forward to meet him, taking the box off his hands. "I promise," she said, her eyes wide for emphasis, "we're not raging alcoholics."

Eddie edged in the door and shut it behind him. "It's nice to have some options for dinner," he explained, with a bit of a sheepish smile. "And, honestly, some of it's just for cooking."

"Did Sebastian tell you, Eddie is a chef?" Lisa asked, turning to go to the kitchen with the wine and inclining her head for Lily to follow.

"Yeah," Lily nodded. "He said he's got a restaurant in the Village?"

"Well, that's the third one," Lisa noted, setting the box on the kitchen counter. "He's got two others. One on Staten Island and another in Manhattan."

"But the one in the Village is my favorite," Eddie chimed in, rounding into the kitchen from the hall with Sebastian in tow. Eddie pecked a kiss to his wife's cheek, adding, "I'll take the bags up later."

Lisa began pulling bottles from the box, turning them to read labels before sorting them to her left or right. Lily slid onto a stool at the island, watching as she asked, "Do you cook, too?"

Lisa looked over her shoulder with a face that said she most certainly did not. "Not to save my life," she proudly admitted. "That's the reason I married him."

"I hope it's not the only reason," Eddie worried with a smile, opening the refrigerator to look around.

"It's the main reason," Lisa winked at Lily.

"She could ruin Ramon, before she met me," Eddie said, pinching at his wife's side on his way to look in the pantry. 

Lily giggled, delighted by Eddie and Lisa's adorable banter. Her nerves were beginning to subside. After Eddie's fanboy moment had passed, the mood was surprisingly comfortable and lighthearted. She was confident everyone would get along, like Sebastian had said.

Sebastian took the stool next to Lily, as Eddie asked, "Are we missing someone? I thought you said there was someone here with Lily." Eddie looked over at Lily. "Do we- Can we call you that?"

"What the hell else would you call her?" Sebastian asked, wrinkling his nose and raising a hand with his shoulders in question. 

"Lily's fine," she said.

Lisa swatted the back of her hand into her husband's arm and shook her head with a grin. "He'll probably need a day or two to get over it really being you," she told Lily.

"I don't-" Eddie stopped and sighed, mumbling to himself as he inspected the pantry again, "I just was saying, I think she's a good actress."

A small laugh wheezed out of Sebastian, as he tried to suppress his entertainment at his friend's embarrassment. Lily elbowed him and shook her head. Sebastian held up his hands helplessly and tried to swallow his laugh as his cheeks reddened a shade from holding his breath. He gestured a hand at Eddie to say he couldn't help it. 

"We are missing someone though," Lisa seconded.

"Drew," Sebastian piped up, regaining his composure. He jerked his thumb toward Lily. "Her Rottweiler."

Lily couldn't frown too hard at the assessment. She shook her head, instead. Lisa asked where he was.

"He went out for more bullets," Sebastian quipped, before a startled flinch at the unexpected smack on his arm from Lily.

"He went to run a couple errands, put gas in the car and drop something in the mail for me," Lily corrected. "I'm in the middle of looking for a new manager and had some stuff to send on to the lawyers."

"I didn't know you were still messing with that stuff while you were here," Sebastian said, giving Lily a slightly judgmental look.

Lily shrugged it off. "When else am I going to get it done?" she said, in her defense. "I can't ignore it."

An unhappy purse came and went from Sebastian's lips, as he turned his attention back to Eddie rummaging through the cupboards. "Yeah, we didn't get too much," Sebastian pointed out, changing the subject. "Didn't want to clutter up the place with a bunch of stuff you'd turn your nose up to."

Eddie snorted and nodded. "Doesn't look too bad," he noted. "We'll figure out some dinners and stuff, hit the store tomorrow. Stop by the fish market and see what looks good."

Lisa began stocking bottles into the wine fridge under the counter. "He's kind of an okay cook," Lisa told Lily. 

"Kind of an okay cook," Eddie scoffed and everyone laughed.

From down the hall, the front door opened and shut. As the laughter died down, Drew came into the kitchen. Scanning over the new arrivals, he nodded with a polite smile and 'hello' as he crossed to Lily. Eddie reached over the island to introduce himself and his wife. He shook Drew's hand and Lisa waved her greeting as she continued to sort and place the wine.

Drew turned to Lily, sliding a FedEx envelope to her on the countertop. "It'll be waiting for them Monday morning," he told her. "Met the deliver guy at the driveway. Jessica had this sent up for you. From Joe at CAA."

"This is so fun," Lisa mused, handing the empty box from the counter to Eddie to throw out. "There's a movie star in our house, with a body guard, getting packages from talent agencies."

"What the hell am I, chopped liver?" Sebastian cried foul, straightening up in his seat with an offended look on his face.

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty desensitized to you after 11 years of friendship," Lisa shrugged.

"That hurts," Sebastian said, sending Lisa a scolding look.

"You're still pretty," Lily reassured him, running her hand soothingly down his forearm.

"Piss off, Lil," he smiled.

"I like her already," Lisa laughed. Her eyes lit up and she pointed a knowing finger at Lily. "Oh, I almost forgot. Thank you for that picture of Sebastian on Instagram."

Lily roared with laughter, nudging her elbow into Sebastian as he gave her a disgusted sneer. Eddie and Drew chuckled, in the background, as Sebastian pointed between the ladies. "Fuck the both of you," he said.

"The girls at the office loooved it," Lisa went on, turning her eyes up to the ceiling and throwing her head back. 

"Happy to help," Lily nodded with a smug grin.

"She's a helper alright," Sebastian sarcastically agreed. 

"You know we caught your show," Eddie threw out.

"Oh, yeah?" Lily perked up.

"That first Friday show," Eddie nodded. "We had such a good time."

"It was great," Lisa chimed in, leaning onto the island. "I loved it."

"We tried to go see it again," Eddie said, "but we couldn't get tickets."

"You shoulda said so," Sebastian insisted. "I coulda set you up."

Eddie shrugged. "We'll hit you up next time."

"Are you doing another show anytime soon?" Lisa asked, looking at both the actors.

"No plans," Lily shrugged.

"Not that I know of," Sebastian agreed, doubtfully cocking his head.

"Ohh," Lisa pouted. "But you should. You guys were so good together."

Sebastian's smile beamed at Lily and his brow wagged up. "See?" he teased. "The people have spoken. You should stick around and focus on Broadway."

"How long are you in town for?" Lisa checked.

Lily shrugged. "Until next Saturday. We'll fly back to LA then."

Lisa flashed a small pout. "It's a shame we don't have better weather to treat you to out here," she said. "It's been so chilly lately."

"I don't mind the weather, " Lily assured her. "Just to be on the beach, get some fresh air and peace and quiet for a bit is fine."

Eddie nodded. "There's always the fire pit," he suggested.

"Made use of that a couple times," Sebastian agreed.

"We should have a fire outside tonight," Lisa offered. "It might rain tomorrow night."

"I'm game," Sebastian agreed, looking at Lily and smiling when she nodded. He looked to Eddie. "Can you recommend a good wine for a fire pit?"

"I can think of one or two," Eddie winked.

"Wine?" Lisa scoffed, starting to open and close cupboards. "I want some s'mores."

Lily's eyes lit up. "Oh, my god," she smiled. "I haven't had s'mores in forever."

Lisa looked over her shoulder at Lily with a wide smile. "S'mores it is," she decided, pointing a finger at Lily in solidarity.

"Well," Sebastian frowned, "I feel like such an old man not thinking of s'mores first."

"You are an old man," Lily reassured him, patting her hand on his arm.

"We don't have marshmallows," Lisa informed everyone. She held her hand out to her husband. "Keys? I'll go to the store."

"I'm parked behind you," Drew told her. "I'll go."

"Let's go," Lisa suggested, wagging her brow up at Lily and turning to Drew. "Borrow the keys?"

"I'll drive you," he said, in no uncertain terms.

Lisa got a sparkle in her eyes. "Oo, I've never had a bodyguard to buy marshmallows before," she giggled.

"It'll be the safest experience of your life," Sebastian insisted, jutting his chin toward Drew and his smirk. "That guy knows eight different ways to kill a man with a toothpick."

"Nine," Drew corrected, with a confident nod of thanks for the compliment.

"I feel safer already," Lisa said, with an approving pout. She held out her bent elbow to invite Lily along. "Let's go."

Lily hooked her arm in Lisa's and Drew followed them out of the kitchen with a small shake of his head and wave goodbye to Sebastian and his friend. When the front door shut and the voices were gone, Eddie took a long, sliding step across the floor. He bent down to rest his elbows on the island countertop and looked at Sebastian, with his brow raised in eager curiosity.

"So," Eddie said, smiling mischievously.

"So, what?" Sebastian asked, looking up and down his friend.

"So, you, uh," Eddie lead him on slow and shrugged, tipping his head toward the front of the house. "You two- You know."

An awkward breath huffed out of Sebastian, as his shoulders fell and he shook his head. "No," he said. "We're not."

"Can I ask," Eddie began, "why the hell not?"

Sebastian rolled his eyes, trying to come off as indifferent to the suggestion of dating or doing anything else with Lily. "Come on, man," he complained, with a quick wince. "It's...It's not like that. Lily, she's my friend. She's-"

"Hot," Eddie interjected.

"She's not just a pretty face," Sebastian noted, trying not to sound too defensive or scolding. "She's a good person; a good actress. Don't- Don't marginalize her like that."

Eddie's smirk took on a new fiendishness. "Holy shit, dude," he marveled. Eddie straightened up and slapped his hand on the countertop before jabbing it at Sebastian. "You _do_ got the hots for her."


	19. Chapter 19

Sebastian grimaced. "She's my friend, alright?" he argued. "I'm just sayin', she-"

"Whatever, man," Eddie shook his head, turning to the refrigerator. "I saw that look you gave her."

"What look?" Sebastian scoffed.

Taking a bottle of water out of the fridge, Eddie waved it at Sebastian. "You had that puppy dog look, when you told her she should stay in New York," he pointed out. "You did it again when she was talking about leaving next week."

"I did not," Sebastian disagreed, averting his eyes with a distracted look at a piece of imaginary fuzz or something on his shirt sleeve.

"Be careful," he warned, twisting open his drink, with a smirk. "You keep it up and she's gonna catch you looking. Then what'll you do?"

Sebastian let out a small groan. "I'm not-"

"Oh, you so are," Eddie insisted, plainly amused and intrigued by Sebastian's apparent growing discomfort. "Ask Lisa when she comes back. She never misses that shit. It's a girl thing, or something."

"Don't ask the wife about it," Sebastian told him, pointing a warning finger at him. "Don't say anything about it at all."

Eddie chuckled into his drink. "Because I'm right," Eddie gleefully said. "Look! Your face is gettin' all red. You _are_ sleeping with her."

"I'm n-" Sebastian let out an exasperated huff and reset himself. "Nobody's sleeping with anybody."

"Not with that guard dog keeping an eye on her," Eddie quipped, wagging his brow up and down.

"Drew's a good guy," Sebastian mentioned. "He's not the problem."

"Then what's the problem?" Eddie begged, giving a subtle wave of his hand for Sebastian to follow him to the living room.

With a reluctant sigh, Sebastian slid off his stool and followed, explaining, "She lives in fucking LA, man. There's an entire country in the way."

"Screw that," Eddie scoffed, dropping into one of the arm chairs. He watched Sebastian settle into the couch. "Don't mean you can't have a bit of fun while she's here." Sebastian threw him a disapproving glance. "You mean to tell me," Eddie began, "you've been here a week with her, worked with her everyday for two or three months straight, and you never made a move? What's wrong with you? You loose your balls or grow a conscience in your old age?"

"Yeah, I got a fuckin' conscience," Sebastian snapped. "It's not like that. Lil's- She's not just a one night stand. She's special."

"Ohh, man," Eddie shook his head, with a small smirk. "You've got it bad. You're done for."

"No shit," Sebastian agreed, his tone a mix of mild aggravation and minor disappointment.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Eddie asked, sounding sincere for the first time in the conversation.

"What can I do about it?" Sebastian invited, throwing up his hands from his lap in a helpless shrug.

"Umm, tell her?" he suggested the obvious.

"Tell her what exactly?" Sebastian sighed.

"That you love her?" Eddie threw out. "That you can't live without her? Your life has no mean-"

"Don't be a dick about it," he groaned, giving Eddie an unhappy side eye.

"I'm just bustin' your balls, man," Eddie smirked, before taking another drink. "But, seriously, you should say something."

Sebastian let out a frustrated sigh, wiping a hand down his face. He dropped his head back onto the couch and stared at the ceiling. Life didn't used to be this complicated. Lily blew in like a hurricane. Frankly, she always did. He expected a few dinners or nights out on the town to catch up with her. He hadn't expected to get all the time with her he had. Sebastian hadn't expected her to show up a bundle of insecurities and troubles and open up to him about them the way she had. He certainly didn't expect to be so drawn to protect and help her, to be so determined to see her smile, be so excited just to hear her say 'hello', or find her occupying so much of his thoughts in his free time. He'd never seen her so vulnerable. He wasn't prepared that learning so much more about her than their good time friendship had shown him before would draw him to her like a magnet. He knew almost everything about her now and was intrigued and enamored by it all.

There was always the kind of fondness for her that anyone could have for one of their closest friends. After a couple weeks of seeing Lily everyday, seeing new angles to her, and helping her along, he was surprised by the new depth he felt about their friendship. He was even more surprised how the thought of her leaving again gave him an, at first, unexplainable pang of sadness in his chest. She wasn't even gone and he was already missing her. Missing their dinners, walks around his neighborhood, their late night chats, and their playful back and forth. The night she had stayed at his apartment and they'd slept on his couch with her head on his hip, she'd fallen asleep first and didn't see the longing stare he gave her. She missed the sigh he made, when he figured out how many weeks they had left to hang out until the show ended and she went home. She didn't notice how he carefully pushed the hair at her cheek behind her ear when he realized he had no right to say anything to her about how he felt, thinking she already had more than enough on her mind and deciding it just wasn't meant to be.

Eddie hummed his mocking disapproval of Sebastian, saying, "Clock's ticking. She'll be gone in a week."

"I know," he assured him, making no attempt to hide his displeasure.

"Write her a letter, if you can't say it to he face," Eddie told him.

Sebastian raised a hand and let it hang in the air for a moment. "What, is this fucking high school?" he asked. "Do you like me? Check yes or no."

Eddie chuckled, saying, "You have to do something."

"I don't have to do _any_ thing," Sebastian countered.

"You're just gonna let her leave?" Eddie doubted. "That's weak, man."

Sebastian sat up and leaned into the arm of the couch. "You don't get it," he told Eddie, a discontented furrow in his brow for his friend's needling. "She's...complicated. She's had all these people coming at her, always trying to get something out of her, the press and everyone else giving her shit and judging her. She's got so much that she puts up with, she's busy as hell. I don't think she ever got over losing her mom. And now she's just now getting the upper hand with all that. People just see the glitz and glamour on the outside. They don't understand what it's like for her."

"Buuut, you do," Eddie said, holding a hand out toward Sebastian. "If you get all that stuff and you understand, doesn't that make _you_ the most qualified candidate?"

"It's because I understand that I know it's a bad idea," Sebastian corrected.

Eddie leaned forward, resting his elbow on his knee to mirror Sebastian's investment in the conversation. "What's so bad about it?"

"There's no room for it," he explained. "She's on the upswing. This thing, about getting new management, she's finally getting control of her life again. She's been listening to everyone else and doing whatever they told her to do since her mom died. She's excited again, she's doing things she wants to do the way she wants to do them. She wants to make some changes, be a better person. And all of that happens for her out in LA, my friend. She's never gonna go for something like staying out here with me. And trying to make something happen long distance? Yeah, right. She's got too much going for her now."

"Okay," Eddie half-accepted. "But how do you actually know she doesn't have time for you unless you say something? Hm? How do you know she doesn't have a thing for you? Maybe she's secretly in love with you, too."

Sebastian gave a short and humorless laugh, falling back against the couch cushions again. "Oh, she loves me alright," he sarcastically nodded. "Like a brother." Eddie laughed until Sebastian closed his eyes and shook his head and went on. "I'm the best friend. The guy she complains to and gives shit to. Any flirting or teasing or anything, it's all a joke. She laughs along. It's part of our game." Sebastian opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling and thoughtfully raising his brow, as he remembered, "Only, it's not a game. It's like Drew said, she's not a toy to play with. She deserves better."

"Drew says?" Eddie repeated, more than a little surprised. "He knows?"

Sebastian nodded, pushing a hand back through his hair with a sigh. "Guy's got eyes like a hawk. Nothing gets by him."

"No shit," Eddie quietly mused and then chuckled at his next thought. "Try ta put a move on her and that guy'd rip you in two."

"He would," Sebastian agreed, his eyes widening briefly at the thought.

"Did he tell you that?" Eddie snickered.

"He might as well have," he shrugged and then shook his head. "No. He said when I finally get off my ass, and tell her, that I better make sure she knows it's not a joke. That she's had enough assholes string her along already. She doesn't need another."

"You're not just another asshole," Eddie reminded him. "You guys have been friends for a long time. That's gotta mean something."

"It does," Sebastian nodded. "Friend zone."

Eddie chuckled again and this time Sebastian let himself smile along, albeit with a sad, kind of hopeless smile, before Eddie asked, "But you do love her, right? You want good things for her? For her to be happy." Sebastian continued to stare at the living room ceiling, but gave a small nod in reply. "And I know you guys have fun together. I've heard your stories." Again, Sebastian nodded. "She seems like a sweetheart. I mean, just these few minutes of meeting her? The wife's smitten and you know she's a pretty good judge of character. I just don't see what the drawback is."

Sebastian's head lolled to the side to give a tired look to his friend. "You don't see the drawback?" he skeptically asked. "The drawback is, what if she says 'no'?" Eddie frowned and sat back in his seat as Sebastian went on. "What if it makes things weird? What if it scares her off and we're not even friends anymore? Isn't it better to keep things the way they are now? I'd be miserable if I didn't even have at least that much. Isn't it better just to be able to keep her at all?"

"So, you're saying you're not already miserable about this, like, not at all?" Eddie supposed.

Sebastian puffed a long breath out of his cheeks. "Is there a way I'm not miserable?" he half-asked, flatly.

"There is if she says 'yes'," Eddie pointed out.

"So," Lisa began, shifting in her seat beside Lily in the back of the rented SUV Drew was chauffeuring, "how long have you and Sebastian been friends?"

Lily thought for a moment. "About seven years now?" she half-marveled. "Since summer of '09, so, yeah. 7 years."

"Time flies, huh?" Lisa mused.

"God," Lily nodded. "It really does."

"How did you two first meet?" Lisa asked.

Lily explained with a fond smile, "There was this children's theater camp, in New York, we both mentored that year. We didn't do a whole lot of work together there, maybe about half the time together or less. The little group of us that was there for the camp went out for dinner the first night and we just really hit it off. When we weren't working, Sebastian played tour guide in the city for the rest of the week and we just kinda have been friends ever since."

"That's sweet," Lisa smiled. "He's such a nice guy. We don't get to see him as much as we used to the last few years, he's just gotten so busy. Seems like ages since he's stopped by the restaurant. But when he called about the house, we couldn't say 'no'."

"Thanks again for letting us stay," Lily offered.

"Oh, of course," Lisa promised, with a wave of her hand. "Gives you a vacation. Gives us a chance to catch up with Sebastian. We get to meet you. Everybody wins."

Lily chuckled. "Well, it's nice to meet you, too. And I definitely needed a break before I go back home."

"Stay as long as you want," Lisa assured her. "We haven't gotten as much use out of the house as we used to. Besides, any chance to rub elbows with A-listers."

Lily laughed at Lisa's comment and wink. "I'm not too impressive without the entourage," Lily apologized. "Hope my traveling light isn't too big of a letdown."

"Oh, not at all," she giggled. "Just the taste is enough." Lisa pointed ahead to Drew. "Sebastian never has anybody following him around. This is already impressive, getting chauffeured by a beefy bodyguard to buy marshmallows. This is the highlight of my year." She leaned up toward Drew, adding, "No offense for the 'beefy'. Just an observation."

Lily saw Drew glance back in the rearview mirror and smile. "None taken."

"Between you and your security and Sebastian," Lisa noted, "this is the most excitement we've seen in awhile." She reached over to put a hand on Lily's arm. "Oh, but if you do stay, you and Sebastian have to come back to the city and have dinner at the Village restaurant. Eddie would be thrilled. He loves cooking for our friends."

Lily smiled at being included among Eddie and Lisa's friends. They were delightful people and she was feeling so much more at ease already. She loved Lisa's enthusiasm for just about everything. It was contagious. She was amused at how doing something as mundane as going to the store for marshmallows to make s'mores could be so fun. She also felt relieved that she had apparently made a good impression on Sebastian's friends and they didn't seem like the type of people to prod her about the things she was written up for the most in the gossip columns.

Lisa leaned forward again to give Drew a couple directions to find the store, before turning her attention back to Lily. "So, what's it like living in LA? Sebastian's told us some good stories about trips he made out there for work, but I've never been. Eddie's been out a couple times. He said it was alright. He's not one for anyplace that isn't New York, though. So, he hardly paints a picture."

"Oh, I love it," Lily told her. "It's never really too cold, the beach is always there. There's a lot for just about anyone; arts, music, food. There's some great nightlife, a beautiful coast to drive, gorgeous sights to see. Hell, every once in awhile my friends and I hit the tourist trap stuff, like everyone else. I still like to sneak down to the pier in Santa Monica every once in awhile. There's a lot of fun to be had. I almost had Sebastian sold on moving out there on his second trip."

"Really?" Lisa wondered. "That guy's a New Yorker through and through."

"Guess I make some persuasive arguments," Lily shrugged, with a chuckle.

"Well, I see why he'd go," Lisa agreed.

"I'd recommend a visit to anyone, at least once in their life," she seconded, oblivious to Lisa's innuendo.

"That's not what she meant," Drew chimed in quietly, from behind the wheel, as he pulled into a parking space near the front of the grocery store.

"Hm?" Lily hummed, tilting to peek at Drew from around the side of his seat.

In the same instant, Drew was unfastening his seatbelt and pulling the key from the ignition. "Nothing," he told her, glancing back at her in the mirror before he climbed out of the car.

Lily was the last one out of the car. Lisa met Drew on the walkway across the storefront as Lily joined them. Lisa led the way as her guests followed her through the store. The grocery wasn't crowded for the hour in the off season town, but Drew remained alert and close to Lily as always. Lily helped Lisa carry a few items she picked off the shelves as they went. Lily casually dipped behind Drew in the check out line, when it seemed like the cashier might be trying to put a name to her face. She stayed there, inconspicuously hiding behind Drew's broad shoulders until they got out of the store. Outside, Lisa clutched Lily's arm and let out a boisterous laugh.

"Oh, my god," Lisa cried. "I thought for sure you were busted!"

"Let's get in the car," Drew instructed, "before anyone sees your face on the magazine rack and looks out the window to check."

The girls hurried into the back of the SUV as Drew started the engine. "Holy shit," Lisa said. "Was there really a magazine with you on the cover in there?"

"Yes," Drew answered for her, sounding unamused at the prospect of anyone else noticing.

Lily frowned. "God, don't let anybody put that together," she muttered.

Pointing the SUV back toward the beach house, Drew tried to be reassuring. "No one noticed. They didn't see you."

"He's right," Lisa piped up and gave Lily's arm a squeeze. "I'm sure no one saw."


	20. Chapter 20

Back at the beach house, Lisa grabbed the pair of grocery bags and flashed an enthusiastic smile at Lily before she slid out of the car. The entire ride home, Lily's stomach was in knots. She was fretting if the clerk really did recognize her and whether or not anyone else would find out she was in town. She had become so comfortable in the relative anonymity of New York for the last couple of months. She was afraid to have the peace she was enjoying ruined by nosey photographers or fans who might follow any lead to find her. All it took sometimes was one obscure tweet to set them on the hunt. On the way up to the house, Lily grabbed Drew's jacket sleeve to hold him back a moment.

Watching Lisa go in the front door, Lily turned to Drew, saying, "D, if someone comes-"

Drew nodded before she had to finish. "It's fine," he promised. "Nobody noticed."

"But if they did," Lily quietly pressed. "If someone says something..."

"I'll take care of it," he assured her, with a comforting hand on Lily's arm. "I'll make some calls tonight, set some things up. I can have some of the boys out here in less than eight hours, if you want to make a stand. If you want to go home, I can get us on a charter out from MTP within a couple hours. I wouldn't lose any sleep over anything tonight. I'll keep my eye on it."

Lily took in a deep breath and held it, trying to calm her nerves. She'd had such a good stay in New York. She didn't want anyone to ruin it. If Drew said it would be alright, she trusted him. He already had plans to increase her security or run if he was wrong, and he'd never let her down before. She gave him a nod. Ahead of them, a shadow cast down the walk from the open doorway and Lily looked over when Drew did.

"Everything alright?" Sebastian asked, arms clamped on the doorframe to hold himself up as he leaned out into the night air.

"Fine, Mr. Stan," Drew said, with a polite smile and soft push at the back of Lily's arm to tell her it was time to go inside.

Drew led the way and Lily followed a step behind. Drew and Sebastian exchanged pleasant smiles and silent nods as Sebastian hinged out of the doorway and Drew passed. He swung back into the open door to intercept Lily.

"You okay, Benny?" he asked, his brow knitted up with mild worry and arms set into the doorframe to keep her out until she answered.

"Fine," Lily said, fixing on her most convincing smile.

She raised a hand to put on Sebastian's arm and he dropped it back to his side to let her pass. He hooked his arm into hers as she entered and turned to see her, asking, "You sure? You look a little-" Sebastian shrugged, looking her up and down and looking for the word. "I don't know. Spooked."

Lily shook her head with another smile. "No."

"Okay," he warily conceded and let her go, shutting and locking the door behind them.

Drew was stopped at the bottom of the stairs, his phone already in his hand and messaging with someone. From the kitchen, Lisa called out that s'mores would be served at the fire pit and would be paired with the chef's recommended Mudslides. Sebastian answered they would be right there. Lily headed off to the kitchen to catch up with their hosts. Sebastian lagged behind, whispering 'hey' to catch Drew before he got too far up the stairs. Drew came back down a few steps as Sebastian looked up at him expectantly.

"Drew, man," he said, in a quiet voice. "Did something happen? She looks a little-"

Drew looked over the railing to see Lily wasn't in the hall, before he told him, "There's a chance someone at the store may have recognized her."

"Are you shitting me?" Sebastian complained, a little louder than he meant to, and instantly hushed himself before he went on. "Are you sure?"

"It's a small chance," Drew reiterated. "It was just one girl, might not have got enough of a good look, but she's worried."

Sebastian licked over his lip and bit it in concentration, suddenly concerned the almost encounter might scare Lily off sooner than she was already planning on leaving. "So, what's she gonna do?"

Drew tipped his head with a small shrug. "I'll make some plans to get her out of here, if she wants to go." He gave another look down the hall. "She'll probably settle down by morning."

"Yeah," Sebastian distractedly agreed, nodding to himself as he kept watch down the empty hall. "Yeah, okay."

"If someone does come around looking," Drew began, "if she wants to leave, I can't stop her." Sebastian nodded his understanding of the subtle warning. Drew threw out, "Do you want me to make arrangements for you, too?"

Sebastian looked back up at Drew with a confused expression on his face for a moment before he shook it clear. "Me? No," he finally managed. "Thanks for the offer, but no."

Drew nodded and started back up the stairs, leaving Sebastian to stare after him a moment. "Fuck," Sebastian muttered to himself, putting a hand to his mouth and wiping it down his chin as he thought.

Sebastian took a look around, wondering if the girl at the store really did recognize Lily and, worse, if she did, would she tell anyone. He was instantly irritated by the idea. First and foremost, he felt bad that Lily worried the way she did about being recognized. Everyone deserved to live their life and it was sometimes disgusting the way some celebrities, like Lily, were hounded by the paparazzi and public alike. His irritation quickly passed and turned to his own selfish worry that she might actually leave early because of it. He shook his head, saying a silent prayer that Lily was wrong and no one had seen her, as he went down the hall to join the others outside.

Lily tried not to let her near miss at the grocery store ruin the night. She settled in to the end of the couch she had unofficially claimed with Sebastian during the week. Eddie was comfortable in his jacket and Lisa was under a blanket, in the chairs on the opposite side of the fire pit. Lily had a blanket folded out over her legs. A few minutes later, when Sebastian came outside, he took a seat next to Lily, as usual, and she opened the blanket to share with him out of habit.

For the next few hours, the small group laughed and howled over stories of karaoke bar adventures in Manhattan, embarrassing moments on set, and growing pains as a standout chef and entrepreneur in New York, while they ate s'mores. The humor, campfire treats, and liquor kept the atmosphere light. Lily all but forgot about the girl at the store for the night. Beside her, Sebastian did his best to conceal his own concerns over the matter. He was enjoying the time with his friends as much as anyone, but he had the secret hope that the fun of the night and company might be enough to convince Lily to stay if she in fact had been found out.

When they could eat no more s'mores and the last of the drinks were gone, Lily and the others called it a night. Eddie tended to the fire pit and blankets and Lisa shooed away the offers to help clean up, sending Lily and Sebastian off to bed. The actors said their goodnights and parted ways at the top of the stairs.

Sebastian sat on the side of his bed, heel tapping nervously and side of his fist to his mouth to prop up his head. He debated knocking on Drew's door, wanting to know exactly what had happened at the store so he had a better idea of whether or not it was serious enough to drive Lily away. He looked at his watch for the time and shook the thought out of his head. It was almost midnight and Drew had probably gone to bed by now. He stood up, not knowing where he planned on going. After an unfocused pan around the room, Sebastian's shoulders fell as he let out his breath.

"Fuck it," he said, looking at his bedroom door and making up his mind.

Sebastian opened the door slowly and peeked his head out into the hallway, looking around to see if anyone else was up or about. He listened for a minute and, when he didn't hear any noise from downstairs and saw the light on under the bottom of the door to the master bedroom, he ventured into the hall. He made careful, heel to toe steps to keep the sound of his shoes on the hard wood as soft as possible. The last thing he wanted was anyone seeing him creep over to Lily's room. He breathed a sigh of relief, when he saw a faint light under Lily's closed bedroom door and he made a gentle knock with one knuckle to see if she would answer. Several tense seconds later, the door opened and Lily sent him a kind, but inquisitive, smile.

"Hey," Lily said, giving him a once over in curiosity. "What's up?"

Sebastian made a small gesture towards the room behind her and Lily opened the door wide for him to come in before he even had to speak. "Thanks," he smiled, as he edged by her.

Lily shut the door and crossed the room to the side of the bed. "What are you up to, slinking around in the middle of the night?" she asked, turning her attention to the open suitcase on the bed.

A lump formed in the back of Sebastian's throat when he'd turned around and saw her packing. "What are you doing?" he asked, taking a couple hesitant steps closer.

"Oh," Lily frowned, straightening up, and put her hands on her hips as she eyed over her things on the bed. "Well, um, when we were at the store tonight, the girl at the register...She kinda looked like maybe she might've known who I was. So, Drew and I decided I might need a plan B, if she did and told anyone about me. I just wanted to be ready, you know, in case-" Lily stopped and looked over at Sebastian, with a shrug and an awkward smile. "You know."

"Are you leaving?" he checked, concentrating on the tone of his question, trying not to sound too anxious or uncomfortable with the topic.

"No," Lily said and then paused, cocking her head in thought. "I mean, not right now. But if we have to leave quickly, I'll be ready."

Sebastian closed the gap to the end of the bed and flipped the lip of Lily's suitcase closed, so he had room to sit. "So, you're planning on skipping town back to LA because some girl _might_ have seen you?"

"It's just in case," Lily repeated, hoping she didn't sound too paranoid. "I know, it sounds ridiculous to you tha-"

"No," Sebastian said, putting up a hand to say she didn't need to go on. "No, I get it. I just think maybe you're jumping the gun here a little bit."

Lily shook her head with an embarrassed smile. "Yeah, I know," she conceded. "I must sound like a lunatic." Sebastian shook his head to say otherwise. "But honestly, more trouble has come out of smaller things, if you can believe that."

"Yeah, Lil," he gently argued, "but are you gonna let some grocery clerk scare you away from your vacation?"

Lily inhaled deeply, her odd smile still in place as she turned her eyes down to the floor. "I don't want to."

"Then don't," Sebastian said, decidedly.

He stood up, taking a handful of folded shirts off the bed as he rose and set them down in the open drawer of the dresser behind Lily. She coughed out a small and disbelieving laugh, as she watched him. When he came back and reached like he was going to grab something else to put back in the room, Lily smacked his hand away.

"What are you doing?" she laughed.

Sebastian looked her in the eye. "You just said you don't want to let anyone chase you away from your vacation," he reminded her. "Well, if you pack up now, you're halfway to letting them."

"Yeah," Lily sarcastically allowed. "Or I'm ahead of the game when it's time to go."

"It's a shitty game, Lil," he pointed out.

"I agree," she told him, going over to pick up the items he had just put back in the dresser. "But I'm kinda used to it."

Sebastian was there to take the clothes out of Lily's hands when she turned back around for the bed and her suitcase. "Stop packing," he insisted, tugging the shirts out of her hand and tossing them to land haphazardly in the drawer again.

"What's your problem?" she asked, giving him an incredulous look and gesturing a hand back toward the dresser.

"I don't- think you should go," he told her, hoping the small stumble between his words went unnoticed.

"I'm not going anywhere yet," she noted, with a small chuckle. "But a failure to plan..."

Sebastian's lips ticked back into a tight frown as Lily picked up her clothes again, careful this time to pass him with her shoulder turned to protect the items in her hands and a smirk on her face. He watched as she smoothed a few rumpled items and opened the lid of her suitcase again. She thoughtfully placed the clothes inside, rearranging a couple items inside to make better use of the free space. Sebastian scratched at the back of his head, eyes following her moves back to the dresser and to the suitcase again, continuing to pack.

"Lil," he said, before he had anything to follow it up with.

Lily slowed her stride as she passed him again and hummed a question to hearing her name. "Hm?" Her brow rose and she added, "Yes, dear?"

She was back to packing and the longer he saw her sorting her things the more his gut twisted. He dropped his hand back to his side and the air fell out of him, as he said her name and tried to start again.

"I don't think you should go," he repeated, a little more unsteady than before.

"I know, it kind of ruins the mood for the weekend," she admitted, her lips tugging to one side. "But vacations always end, right? Maybe I'm wrong and we can make it till next week. If not, it was still a good week away."

"Benny, I-" He lost steam, as she went back to the dresser again, each item in the suitcase somehow adding weight to his chest and raising his nervous pulse. Sebastian took a deep breath and finally managed to say, "Lil, I don't want you to go."

It was out, but Lily was still packing. Sebastian's hand carded frustratedly through his hair. Lily was refolding a sweater on the bed and shook her head with a faint smile. He knew she wasn't going to stop preparing for her escape. He took a stretching sidestep and flipped the suitcase closed again before she could tuck the sweater away and she looked over at him with a disapproving scowl.

"Oh, my god," she halfheartedly complained. "You are terrible tonight."

She went to shoo him away from her suitcase, but Sebastian splayed his fingertips and pressed his hand down to hold it closed. "Lil, don't," he insisted.

"Okay, Stan," she frowned. "Now you're actually being annoying."

"I'm sorry," he told her, with a small sweep of his head. "But, Lil...Dammit," he sighed, lifting his hand off the suitcase and straightening up. "Lil, I don't want you to go. I don't want some girl at the grocery to scare you away now and I don't want you to go back to LA."

Lily tipped her head to the side and put her free hand on her hip, getting increasingly irritated by his hindrances to her packing. "Like I said, I'm just getting ready in-"

"No," he shook his head. "Not just now. I mean, yeah, I don't want you to leave now, but I mean later, too."

Sebastian's fumbling confused Lily and she let it show in her expression. "Too many marshmallows, hon?" she quipped. "You're not making any sense anymore."

"I don't want you to go home," he said again, much more firmly than before. "I don't-" Sebastian paused for the words and Lily pressed her sweater down into her suitcase. "I don't want to miss you," he told her. "Lil, if you go home, it's all over." He caught his breath again when she looked up at him, her brow knitting in confusion as he went on after a sigh in weakness. "If you go home, there's no more Starbucks or Chinese food. There's no more Fireball or stealing my hats. No more talks on the couch. You'll be gone."

Lily frowned and gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm gonna be a better friend," she promised, giving him a kind smile. "I'm going to make more time for people. I'm gonna call more, stay in touch better, look people up when I-"

"I don't want you to call me more," he griped and then shook his head at his mistake. "I mean, I do, but, what I'm saying is-" Sebastian took a breath. "I'm saying, if you don't leave- if maybe you stay here, you don't have to do those things for me and I don't have to miss you. You stay here and these last couple of months don't disappear."

Lily didn't understand where this was all coming from or why Sebastian seemed to be having such a hard time putting a thought together. "You're still my best friend," she assured him, giving him a small, but warm, smile.

Sebastian shrugged and helplessly shook his head. "That's not good enough anymore."

"What do you mean, it's 'not good enough'?" she scoffed, nearly insulted.

"God," he grumbled, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. "I never had so much trouble talking to someone as you." Sebastian brought his gaze down to find Lily's eyes again. "Lily, I love you. ..Not like a fellow actor. Not like my best friend. It's just you."

There was a quiet moment between them and Lily raised a doubting eyebrow. "Seb, sweetheart-"

He cut her off, more than a little hurt she didn't seem to believe him or take him seriously. "Don't look at me like I'm an idiot," he defeatedly chided her. "I don't know what you've got going on back at home. All I know is the last few months. I know that they were fun and they made me happy. Happy to work with you, to see you every day, happy to see you smile and hear you laugh. I realize how lucky I was to get to spend all that time with you. And I don't want that to end. It's not a joke today, Lil. It's not part of some flirty game and there's no punchline. It's just me, telling you, I love you and I don't want you to go."


	21. Chapter 21

She wasn't sure where, somewhere in the middle of him speaking, and she wasn't sure how, but somehow the floor had come out from underneath Lily. Only she didn't fall through. She was stuck there, floating and still and completely at a loss for anything to do or say. Her confusion and surprise came as a gaped mouth and slowly shaking head. 

"Benny, I know I'm screwing this up," Sebastian admitted, putting his hands on his hips in disappointment at himself. "I didn't plan this or anything. I just- You're ready to leave and I panicked...thinking you'd be gone before I got the nerve. And now, it's just a mess." He let out an awkward laugh, dropping his head with a helpless shake. "It's the most important thing I ever had to say to you, and I'm blowing my lines." He snorted another awkward laugh and gestured a hand out. "The silence- You're killin' me here, Lil. Could you say something,...please?"

Lily did know she should be saying something, but it was hard to speak when the air had been knocked out of her. She felt blindsided. She couldn't wrap her hands around what he was saying. It had come out of nowhere and she wasn't ready. All she could do was blink and try to remember how to breathe.

"Are you serious?" she begged, her brow wrinkling up.

"Probably more serious than I've ever been with you," he nodded, his mouth agape to swallow a breath for himself when he was finished.

Lily's winced, confused. "Why di- Why would you say that?"

"No time like the present," he shrugged, wiping the smile off his face when he saw it wasn't playing well. "You kinda forced my hand."

"What do you expect me to do with this?" she wondered out loud, holding up her palms for help. "You just spring this on me, I'm trying to- What did you expect to happen? I- I'm going home...in, like, 7 days."

"I know," Sebastian said, his eyes ticking down. "And I'm sorry. This isn't how I planned-"

"There was a plan?!" Lily coughed out, hands falling to her sides with a small slapping sound.

"No, actually. There was an _idea_ ," Sebastian corrected her. 

"An idea?" she repeated.

"There were two ideas, really," he adjusted again. "This is the second. In the first one, I let you go back to LA next week without saying a word."

"And _this_ was the idea that won?" she laughed, in disbelief.

"I didn't say it was a good idea," he said. "But, yeah, this one won."

The breath fell out of Lily again and she stood there, slack jawed and eyes indiscriminately darting around the room. She huffed and looked back at Sebastian. Her lips closed and there was a slight leveling to her eyes as she drew back and slapped her hand into his arm.

"What the hell's 'a matter with you?" she demanded.

Sebastian clamped a hand over the sting on his arm. "Ow! Jesus Christ, Lil," he scolded her. "Take it easy."

"Take it easy?!" she parroted. "Where do you get off? All those dinners and talks, bringing me up here, telling me you love me. Was that the plan the whole time? Get me up to some romantic, beach getaway and-"

"No!" he interrupted. Sebastian realized how loud he may have been and pulled it back. "No, Lil, Jesus," he tried again, a distinct hush to his voice. "It's not some romantic getaway. For fuck's sake, Drew's right down the hall. Where's the romance in that? It's like your dad's here." He shook his head at the thought. "I brought you up her because you deserve a break. You needed time to relax before you got back to the grind in LA. That's all. There wasn't a plan. Believe me," he insisted, with wide eyes for emphasis and a final soothing rub at his arm, "if I'd known you were gonna beat the shit outta me, I'da kept my damn mouth shut."

"Maybe you should have," she seconded.

"I gotta admit, this is not the way I thought this would go," Sebastian griped.

"What did you expect?" she wondered aloud. "That I'd just swoon and fall into your arms?"

"It would have been nice," he admitted, an undercurrent of sarcasm coming through, out of his frustration and embarrassment.

Lily rolled her eyes and tipped her head back to stare at the ceiling. "Why are you telling me now?" Lily very nearly whined.

"If I knew any sooner," he offered, "I'd have had Jessica set up an appointment to tell you over cocktails."

"Don't be a smart ass," Lily snapped.

Sebastian steepled the fingertips of his hand into his chest. "Well, excuse me for bleeding my heart out in front of you," he bit back. "Fuck, Lil. You always this mean to people who tell you they're in love with you?"

Lily opened and then immediately closed her mouth. She didn't have a sassy reply ready like she'd hoped. Instead, she had a million questions running and crashing into each other in her head. She closed her eyes and shook her head to clear some of the debris.

"You can't just waltz in here," Lily told him, flinging a hand toward the door, "and throw that at me. How dare you? You think you can swoop in with some advice when I'm at my fucking rock bottom, butter me up with some compliments, build me back up- For what? So you can be my hero and I'd fall in love with you for it? Is that it?"

"It's not," he all but growled, scowling at her. "Lil, I love you." Lily huffed and looked away and Sebastian moved to meet her gaze. "I. _love_. you, Lil. Maybe I'm beginning to wonder why now, but I do. And it's insulting that you think I'd come sneaking in, trying to take advantage of you when you were feeling so low. It's insulting," he reiterated, "and you should be ashamed of yourself for even thinking that, let alone saying it. And for sayin' it to me, of all people."

Lily crossed her arms, her eyes falling to the floor. Sebastian shifted to stand directly in front of her again, ducking his head to find her eyes before he went on.

"You wanna know why, Lil?" he asked. Lily didn't answer, but she looked up at him again. "Because you're wonderful." Lily tutted, with another eye roll. "It's true," he nodded. "You're an amazing woman, Lil. You're smart and kind and funny, a great actress, and all the other reasons people like you. I love all that, too. But you know what I love more?...It's all the other stuff.

"I love the way you steal my hat and you stand a little closer when you wanna hide. Those talks we had? They were great. I learned so much about you. And about me. I realized I don't ever wanna stop talking to you. I want to know everything. I don't think there's been anyone I ever wanted to spend more time with. I love it all, Lil! When you're cursing like a sailor or singing sad Italian songs, the way your eyes light up when you're laughing. I could stare at that smile all day. When you're being a brat and pouting because something didn't go your way or when you buy three desserts because you can't decide and don't want to miss out. Hair a mess and in your pajamas or all dolled up for a red carpet, you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

"Nobody gets my sense of humor like you do. I have so much fun with you, Lil. I always have." A small, but adoring, grin tugged back one corner of his mouth. "Seeing you makes my whole day better. It's like the sun rises and sets around you anymore. God, I swear I can smell your perfume or shampoo, or whatever it is, in my apartment after you leave and it drives me wild. Every other thought I have lately is about you and the idea of you leaving, of not seeing you everyday, makes me...God, I don't even know how to describe how sick it makes me.

"I could go on," he assured her. "I could get down to every last detail I love about you. You wanna hear about that litle fleck of brown you have in your left eye? I could go on for an hour about how it makes me stare when you look at me. I could get lost in that tiny spot forever. I could keep you up all night talking about the way one corner of your mouth turns down, just the slightest bit, when you smile. It's that one," he told her, pointing to the right side of her mouth. "When your lips are tight or you're trying not to laugh, it's the smallest thing, but it's amazing...You want more? 'Cause I can do this all day."

Lily shook her head, tucking her hands a little further under her arms and holding herself a little tighter. "No."

"I wouldn't lie to you, Lil," he promised. "All the flirting and the grab ass, the teasing. It's not the old game we always play. I don't want to play anymore. It's for real this time. All I want to do is hear you tell me if you feel the same."

Lily's expression had softened some time ago. She chewed at the inside of her lip, her eyes searching over every inch of Sebastian's face, as if her next cue were written there. Her heart beat wildly and there was a dampness to her palms. She almost felt a little faint, a little unsteady on her feet and she turned and sat down on the side of the bed next to her suitcase. Lily's unfocused gaze went to the floor and she shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she started, quietly, "I don't know what to say."

"You could tell me you love me," he offered, with the hope of a boyish smile, before pocketing a hand in his jeans and carding the other through his hair. When Lily didn't respond to the humor, he sighed. "Maybe you could just tell me I didn't ruin everything. That you're still my friend?"

Eyes still fixed downward, Lily gave him a small nod. "You're still my friend," she agreed.

Sebatian wiped a hand down over his mouth, letting out his breath as his eyes ran over the ceiling. "Okay," he nodded to himself. Sebastian jerked his thumb toward the door. "I'm gonna go now. I'm, uh...I'm sorry for interrupting. I'll let you get back to packing. ...Get some sleep. I think Eddie wanted to take us to town tomorrow for lunch. I, uh- I'll see ya tomorrow."

Sebastian let himself out, pulling the door shut quietly behind him. The breath fell out of Lily as her jaw dropped. Her mouth agape, she sat there, eyes wondering around and mind racing. It was too much to make sense of and she had no explanation for the tears that were suddenly threatening to spill over her lashes. Her hand went to her mouth, as if that could somehow keep any more air from escaping her or the tears from falling. Lily stared at the door for a long moment.

"What the hell just happened?" she whispered and shook her head.

Needing a distraction, to move and expel the anxious energy she felt, Lily stood again and went back to sorting her clothes. She grabbed a rumpled shirt off the bed and flapped it out to refold. Looking at the shirt in her hands, she sighed, wadding it up and throwing it into the suitcase. The few other unkempt shirts were gathered up and just as hastily added to the suitcase, which she zipped shut and tugged off the bed to put on the floor by the dresser. Packing wasn't helping. The flustered energy wasn't going away. 

If moving didn't help, sitting still might. Lily stepped out of her slippers and climbed into bed, crossing her legs under her and tugging the covers over her lap. She stared at the door again and was now inexplicably fuming. 

How dare he? Who did he think he was? She felt taken advantage of. All the hours spent confessing her insecurities and worries came back to her and she was furious. She didn't have enough fingers to count the number of times she'd been dumb enough to open up and confide in someone and it been used against her. A story sold to a tabloid, some manipulation looking for money. The list was full of shady reasons "friends" turned out to not be what they seemed. Lily knew better. People were not to be trusted. 

She thumped an angry fist into the mattress beside her and drew her knees up to her chest, hugging them close. She'd done it again. Lily trusted someone too much and let them in. Resting her tension filled jaw on her knees she took a deep breath, wondering if it just wasn't best to leave now. Glancing at the clock by the bed, she figured Drew would be sleeping, but she still debated waking him to tell him they had to go home. Lily ducked her forehead against her knees and shook her head. 

What the hell was she doing? It wasn't him. It was her. What had Sebastian done? Nothing. He'd told her he loved her. He didn't ask for anything. He didn't try to bait or blackmail her into anything. He wasn't selling her life or their friendship to anyone. All he wanted was for her to stay. Sure, it was selfish of him, but it was the most honest and pure thing anyone had ever asked of her. And she'd behaved so poorly. Her anxiety was replaced with shame. She realized how awful she'd reacted, giving him anger and suspicion instead of the patience and attention such an outpouring deserved. Lily was mortified by the way she had treated him.


	22. Chapter 22

Lily had a rough night. Her sleep was interrupted and light, tossing and turning. At one point, she'd turned the alarm clock by the bed around so she didn't have to see it. It's warm, red glow mocked her with the time and it only took a few glances at the display for her to resent it. Lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, Lily sighed, wishing she could take advantage of the grey skies outside and hide under the sheets all day. She heard footsteps passing in the hall and heading downstairs. She didn't know who they belonged to, but she knew she had to follow. She was a guest in someone's home and Sebastian had mentioned there were plans for the day.

Throwing aside the covers, Lily dragged herself out of bed. A check of the hallway told her the bathroom was free. She showered quickly and hurried back to her room. Lily combed through her hair and threw on a sweater and jeans. Downstairs, she heard voices in the far end of the house. Rounding the corner into the kitchen from the hall, she saw Eddie standing at the stove, scrambling some eggs in a skillet. He looked over and smiled.

"Good morning," he told her, turning his gaze back to his work. "You're just in time." Eddie waved the spatula in his hand toward the counter beyond him. "Help yourself."

Lily's eyes wandered over the little buffet on the countertop. She filled a plate with eggs, Canadian bacon, toast, and hash brown casserole. Eddie informed her that salt and pepper and a fresh pot of coffee were on the table and Lily headed for the dining room. Everyone else was just settling in for their meal. Drew nodded behind his coffee, Lisa gave an energetic 'good morning', and Sebastian flashed a quick, halfhearted smile before turning his attention to a forkful of eggs.

"'Morning, everyone," Lily replied to their various greetings.

Lily took the chair beside Drew. Sitting across from her, Lisa eagerly started in with an outline of her and Eddie's ideas for the day. Lily nodded along, interjecting a small question here and there about the town.

Eddie joined them, taking a seat at the head of the table with his breakfast. Drew was always more of an observer, though Lisa made it a point to make eye contact around the table to be sure everyone knew they were part of the plans. Lily liked the thoughtfulness she guessed Lisa always had. Sebastian was surprisingly quiet. No one called him out. Maybe no one else noticed, but Lily was painfully aware of how little he added to the conversation. It was a stark difference from the night before around the fire and her stomach felt a bit upset by the end of her meal, wondering if anyone else picked up on the change and hoping it didn't come up at the table. 

Lily held up a hand and swept her head once, at the offer of a second helping. "No, thank you," she smiled at Eddie. "I'm stuffed. It was delicious though."

"Do you like seafood?" Lisa asked, eyes wide with interest, as she watched Lily over a sip from her coffee.

"Yes, I do," Lily nodded.

Lisa smiled, sitting up a little straighter in her seat, telling the group, "Eddie makes the most incredible clam chowder. We were getting ready for bed last night, when I said, 'You know what sounds good? You should make-'"

To her embarrassment, Lily tuned out for part of Lisa's recital of Eddie's recipe and preparation for his 'famed' chowder. Where Lily should have paid attention to her hostess, she was distracted by quick glances she stole at Sebastian. She missed pieces of what Lisa said, her own thoughts crowding her head, wondering what Sebastian was thinking. She worried if he was mad at her, or if he wasn't, why he was so reserved this morning. She wondered if he would say something to her, even a 'hello'. There was something unsettling about not hearing him actually say anything to greet her when she came downstairs. Her stomach twisted at the idea he might not say anything to her at all and that she would have to. Only, she still didn't know what to say. She was rescued from her thoughts by the tapping of Eddie's spoon on the edge of his cup of coffee, pulling her back into the moment.

"Now, like I said," Lisa was going on, "it's a little on the rich side, but there's this wonderful Chardonnay we found that just pairs with it so beautifully." Lisa pushed out her palms, closing her eyes with a small wave of one dismissive hand. "Trust me, you're gonna love it. It's on the menu at the Manhattan restaurant and people go on about it all the time." Lisa looked to Eddie, snapping her fingers trying to jog her own memory. "Honey, who's that guy?"

"What guy?" Eddie practically laughed, with a helpless shake of his head. 

"You know, the guy," Lisa said. 

"Still not helpful," Sebastian snickered and Lily felt the breath fall out of her chest in relief to see a small smile at the corner of his mouth before he took a drink of his orange juice. 

Lisa backhanded Sebastian in the arm, flashing him a quick scowl and making him sputter into his glass in surprise of the hit. "The guy," she insisted to her husband. "The one with the glasses, always wears the bow ties? The one from the Post."

"The food critic?" Eddie checked. 

"Would've been better to start with those descriptors," Sebastian told Lisa. "Literally _any_ thing besides 'the guy' would've worked."

Lisa blindly smacked Sebastian again, looking expectantly at Eddie. "Well?"

"Robert 'don't call me Rob' Roper," Eddie told her. 

"Oh, for the love of God," Lisa groaned, rolling her eyes. "Do _not_ call him Rob." She shook her head. "This guy's a pill and a half. Anyway-" She swiped a hand at her obvious distaste of the man. "Guy's a hard sell and a prick, but he raved about the chowder 8 years ago. Hand to God, it's the only thing that's stayed on the menu since the place opened. It's that popular. I mean, it's all delicious, but you got to change things to keep it interesting and new, right?"

"Wow," Lily smiled at Eddie. "Can't wait to try it."

"Yeah," Eddie nodded. "We'll see how things look at the market, but I thought it'd be perfect considering the weather today."

"It's real good," Sebastian seconded. "You guys'll like it."

He'd spoken to her. It wasn't technically addressed to her, but the remark meant he still included her in the thought. Sebastian hadn't looked up from his work of pouring himself a cup of coffee after his juice was gone. Lily's elation at hearing him speak died when she realized he was still avoiding her, despite appearances. 

Lily instinctually stayed close to Drew. They were nowhere near the store where the clerk may have recognized her the night before, but she was still suspicious of the people in the fish market. Hidden under her coat hood and a chunky scarf tucked into her collar to ward off the drizzling rain and wind's chill, Lily wouldn't necessarily be easy to spot, but she was feeling insecure.

The air around them was near constantly filled with stories and jokes from Lisa. Sebastian threw in some comments or added a reference here and there, but in the same generalized way he had used at breakfast. He and Lily still had not spoken, in spite of sitting beside each other in the car as Eddie drove them into town. Drew had driven separately behind them. A good tactition, he didn't have to explain to Lily that it gives him a better view and a second vehicle lets him play a shell game with photographers, if any were to show up. Hands deep in his coat pockets, Sebastian seemed to float in the middle of the group, but nearer to Eddie than anyone else. When the wind kicked up, walking along the open air marketplace, Lily curled her arms around Drew's elbow instead of Sebastian's. 

They stopped for lunch at a seaside restaurant, watching the waves crash into the beach under a dismally grey sky. Eddie talked a bit about how long he and Lisa had had the beach house and about some of the summers they'd spent there. Lisa needled a few details about Drew and his celebrity watching work history out of the usually stoic man himself. Lisa was still enamered by the novelty of the bodyguard in their midst and Drew humored her curiosity to a degree, stopping short of giving any real detail about his career with the Marines when Lisa asked. Lily and Sebastian were spectators for the majority of the meal. 

Back at the house, Lisa dismissed herself for a bubble bath, saying she needed to wash the rain off of her. Eddie went off to the kitchen to rearrange some cupboards and start some early prep work for the evening's meal and something for the next day. Drew had plucked a book off the office shelf a couple of days ago and picked up where he left off, in the comfort of the armchair nearest the small fire Eddie had started when they came in. Lily went upstairs to put on some warmer clothes and Sebastian was slumped into the far end of the living room couch, staring distractedly at the emails on his phone. 

It was a few page turns later that the quiet in the room was broken and Drew supposed, "Didn't go over well, did it?"

"Huh?" Sebastian blinked, looking up from his phone. 

Drew was finishing the last line of a page before he closed the book on his finger and turned his gaze to Sebastian. "You told her and it didn't go well, did it?"

Sebastian's eyes dropped to his phone before he gave it a look of disgust and tossed it to the empty space of the cushion beside him. "Yeah," he groaned, dropping his head back into the top of the couch and scratching at his forehead. Drew hummed an almost indifferent reply and Sebastian's head lolled over tiredly to see him again. "You knew it wouldn't?"

Drew shrugged. "She's heard it before," he told him. "From plenty of people. She's not inclined to be very...trusting of those kinds of admissions, anymore."

"You can say that again," Sebastian said, more than a little defeated. 

"That bad, huh?" Drew smirked. 

"She hit me," Sebastian recalled. Drew stifled a laugh and Sebastian cracked a smile. In hindsight, it was a little funny.

"Nice," Drew nodded. 

"She was mad about it," Sebastian admitted. "Wasn't expecting that."

Drew hummed again. "Well," he sighed, "you're the poor son of a bitch who showed up late. A few years ago, it probably woulda gone a lot differently. Sad to say, she's got some scars and she's put up a lot of walls, because of assholes before you. Hate to say, I'm not really surprised."

"You could've warned me," Sebastian complained.

"I did," Drew reminded him.

"Yeah, I guess so," he shrugged. Sebastian sat up, leaning forward to rest his elbows to his knees. "You've seen it all, the last 6 years or so. ...Got any advice?"

Drew already had his book open again and had thumbed to the next page. "Yeah," he nodded. "Stop ignoring her."

"What?"

"Stop ignoring her," Drew repeated slowly, closing the book for the second time and giving Sebastian his full attention again. "This passive aggressive shit, where you're not looking her in the eye and only indirectly speaking to her? That's not gonna fly. It's really bothering her."

"She say that?" Sebastian worried. 

"No," Drew shook his head. 

"Then how do you know?" he asked. Drew's response was a quirk up of an eyebrow to wonder if Sebastian had really just asked him that question. "Right," Sebastian nodded, realizing his error. 

"Trust me," Drew assured him, opening his book again. 

"What the hell am I supposed to do now?" Sebastian muttered, falling back heavily into the couch again and staring at the ceiling. 

"Start with 'stop ignoring her'," Drew said. "She's got enough to worry about without having to wonder if you're mad at her or something. She's nervous right now. The girl at the store freaked her out yesterday and then you tell her you love her-" Drew gave him a look from the side of his eye. "That's what you told her, right?" Sebastian nodded and Drew nodded in return. "Lily can't stand silences. And from you, it's got to be unnerving the hell out of her. She's fidgety as fuck, she's about half as genuinely happy to be here as she was, and is clinging to me like a vine. You don't nut up and start talking or, at least, looking her in the eye, and she's gonna find an excuse outta here early. Tell her that it doesn't matter whatever happened last night and you're still friends. Even if for now your feelings are hurt and it's a lie, you tell her. Because, if she's not interested, you'll be lucky if that's the only way you get to keep her. She doesn't stick around after things get too uncomfortable for her."

Eddie's chowder was the talk of the table. The notes from Drew had stuck with Sebastian. At dinner, he'd stopped averting is eyes. He chimed in about Eddie's Manhattan restaurant, telling Lily she might as well just make a round of all of Eddie's places the next time she came to town. He elected to go with the softer sell of suggesting she come back sometime, instead of trying to drag out her trip any longer by insisting she add things to her itinerary. He didn't want to push.

The conversation, and what was left of the wine, carried to the living room, after dinner. Drew dismissed himself for the evening, as had become his custom. Sebastian was the only one to catch Drew's quick touch of Lily's shoulder as he passed her chair, some kind of subtle reassurance she seemed to relax under and it was the first time Sebastian realized the tension she had been under all day. 

Eddie had rebuilt the fire and Lisa had invited Lily to sit with her on the couch to show off photos on her phone of the party she and Eddie had hosted last Fourth of July at the beach house. Lisa insisted that, if Lily had the time in her schedule, she should come back for the holiday weekend. Eddie kept the fire stoked and the group spent the rest of the evening with the radio on in the background of their conversations. The longer Lisa went on and the more Sebastian could add to a conversation, the more he noticed Lily unwind. Drew was a wise man.

After the energy sapping day in the rain and the late night in front of the fireplace, Sebastian wasn't surprised by how quiet the house was when he woke up. What did surprise him was hearing Lily's phone ring and go unanswered in her room. He heard it on his way to the bathroom and again on his way back to his room. He stopped, going back a few steps to push open her unlatched door enough to see inside the room. Lily's bed was empty and her phone was plugged in on the nightstand. Getting no answer to his knock, Sebastian went in to take a look around. Lily wasn't there. He peeked at the display on her phone to see two missed calls and a text from her assistant.

The battery was full, so Sebastian took the phone with him on his way downstairs. He thought he'd be helpful and let Lily know someone was looking for her. Downstairs, Drew was in the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee for himself. Sebastian said his good morning and made his way across the kitchen to the dining room. He'd expected to see Lily, but when he didn't see her at the table with Eddie or in the living room, he went back to Drew. On the way, he didn't see her out the windows on the beach or on the deck either.

"Where's Lil?" he asked.

"Still asleep," Drew said, blowing a breath over the top of his hot drink.

"No, she's not," Sebastian told him. He put her phone on the counter in front of Drew. "I went in 'cause she wasn't answering her phone and she's not there."

Drew's face instantly scowled as he set down his mug and picked up Lily's phone for inspection. His jaw set when he read the notifications on the screen and his head cocked to the side in plain aggravation, as he muttered, "God fuckin' damn it."

"She didn't say anything to you?" Sebastian asked, curiosity turning to concern, a little alarmed Drew didn't seem to know where his charge was and worried Lily wandered off.

"Fuckin' hell," Drew grumbled, all but ignoring Sebastian's question and worry wrinkled brow, and dumping his coffee into the sink.

It was a small relief when Sebastian saw Drew take the keys for the SUV out of his pocket. At least Lily wouldn't have gone far. But Drew's demeanor was uninspiring. "You know where she went?"

"No," Drew admitted, his voice lined with frustration as he headed into the dining room. "Hey," he said, drawing Eddie's attention from a magazine and his breakfast. "You seen-"

Drew stopped, his half-asked question answered as Lisa and Lily giggled their way through the kitchen door, cheeks red and hair blown from the wind, but otherwise fine. The ladies waved and spoke their good mornings, on their way to the kitchen counter. From the doorway of the dining room, Sebastian and Drew watched Lily and Lisa empty their coat pockets of small fistfuls of glass and shells into a mixing bowl Lisa grabbed from a cupboard. Eddie sided past Sebastian to put his dishes in the sink, glancing over at the items in the bowl on the kitchen island.

"Oh, hey," Eddie smiled, approvingly. "That looks great."

"What's that?" Sebastian asked, taking a few steps back into the kitchen.

"We went out to scavenge for beach glass and shells," Lisa explained, her face over top of the bowl as she poked a finger around inside. "It's always best in the morning, especially early in the season when nobody's really up here yet."

"Yeah," Eddie chimed in. "Sometimes, Lisa finds some good stuff and we'll make center pieces or something out of it for one of the restaurants."

Drew put the car keys back in his pocket and Sebastian heard his unhappy sigh from behind him. He didn't think anyone else noticed and turned over his shoulder to share a sympathetic look with Drew, while Lily and Lisa watched proudly as Eddie inspected their finds. The ladies stripped off their coats and Lisa offered Lily a cup of coffee, which she declined. Drew crossed the kitchen, silently curling a finger twice for Lily to follow him, which she unquestioningly obeyed, disappearing into the hallway. Sebastian took up a seat on one of the kitchen island stools and feigned interest in the seaside trinkets Lisa had begun sorting through. 

Far from prying ears, at the bottom of the stairs, Drew stopped walking to turn and face Lily. He frowned at the scolded look that was already coming to her face as he held up her phone for her to see. "Forget something?"

"No," she pouted. "I was just letting it charge all the way. I forgot to plug it in before bed last night."

"Mr. Stan gave me this three minutes ago," he informed her, handing her phone over. "How long were you gone this morning before that?"

Lily shrugged, sheepishly looking down at her phone instead of Drew. "Probably 40, 45 minutes. I don't know."

"How many times do we gotta go through this?" Drew asked, his tone dropping with exhaustion of the topic. "Two rules, Lily. Just two. Now's not the time for this."

"I'm sorry," she offered, resigned. "I wasn't trying to do anything. Lisa made some oatmeal and asked me to go. Everyone else was still upstairs, so we-...I figured we would be back before everyone else woke up. I didn't go far, just over a few houses up and down the beach."

Lily was unusually sincere in her apology and it didn't escape Drew's notice. He sighed, before asking, "What's wrong, Lily?"

"Nothing," she shook her head.

"You never _actually_ mean you're sorry when you wander off," he pointed out. "What's wrong?"

Lily pinned on a smile and met his eyes, shaking her head again. "Nothing," she promised.

Drew nodded, his lips pulling back tightly told Lily he didn't believe her but that he wouldn't press the issue. "Fine," he conceded. He put up a finger in warning. "But next time you take a walk on the beach or something, wait for me. I don't want you getting caught somewhere up here by yourself."

"I wasn't by myself," Lily noted.

"You know what I mean," he told her, leveling an unamused gaze at her and crossing his imposing arms. "Until we're sure nobody knows you're here, alright?"

"Yeah," she quietly agreed.

"You made me throw out my coffee," he pointed out, jutting his chin down the hall toward the kitchen. "You want some?"

"No," Lily declined, with a meek smile. "Sorry. I know how important your coffee is to you."

Drew let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes over hard. "Pain in my ass, Lily," he complained.

Lily ducked her head and gave him a hug, doing her best to wrap her arms around him as he stubbornly left his own arms folded in front of him. "You'd be bored without me," she promised him.

"I'd be less stressed without you," he corrected, flexing his arms and shrugging her off.

"Miserable without me," she insisted after him, as he went back toward the kitchen. 

"Looking forward to retirement," he told her, as he went.

Lily started to follow and tried to get the last word in. "Hopelessly lost without me."

Drew halted, just before the corner into the kitchen. "I'll give you 'slightly bored'," he offered and Lily nodded proudly.


	23. Chapter 23

The previous day's rain had washed away the cool weather overnight. The sun shining overhead made for the first pleasant day of Spring Lily had seen yet. Outside, Eddie was cleaning the grill ahead of lunch. In the kitchen, Lily chopped carrots for Lisa's salad. Drew and Sebastian wrestled the outdoor table and chairs for the deck out from the cramped storage beneath the back of the house. After setting up the furniture outside and cleaning up, Drew helped Lisa carry out dishes and burgers and kabobs for the grill. Catching Lily alone in the kitchen, Sebastian found his nerve.

Shutting off the kitchen faucet from washing his hands, he grabbed the towel off the stove door to dry off, as he eyed Lily scooping diced vegetables into the salad bowl. He hung up the towel and leaned his hip into the counter beside her. His sudden appearance gave Lily a small start and she smiled awkwardly, as she dusted the small bits of food from her hands.

"Hey," Sebastian began, throwing a quick look out the windows of the kitchen to see what the others were doing outside. Looking back at Lily, he added, "You got a minute?"

Her smile shrinking, but still on her face, Lily hummed and nodded. She didn't think she could get any actual words around the lump in her throat and the way the butterflies in her stomach pitched and twirled was nothing compared to the racing of her heart. Looking for anything to put some of her nervous energy into, Lily took her cutting board and knife to the sink to wash. Sebastian followed as she moved, standing beside her while she tested the water's temperature with her fingertips.

"I wanted to-" Sebastian stopped, losing his train of thought when he heard Lisa's boisterous laugh from outside. He and Lily both looked over their shoulders for a moment. Certain they still had a few minutes of privacy, Sebastian went on. "The other night," he started again. "I wanted to apologize. I kinda just threw that at you and I know the timing was off. Way off, actually." Sebastian ran a hand through his hair, scratching along the back of his head. "I know you got a lot on your mind and I shouldn't have-"

"It's okay," Lily smiled, standing the washed board in the dish rack. 

"Are you sure?" Sebastian doubted, watching her with a discerning eye. He snorted a small uncomfortable laugh. "Because you hit me and yelled at me and I-"

"Really," she nodded, shutting of the tap and flinging the water off her hands. "It's not a big deal." Lily took the towel when Sebastian grabbed it from the oven door and offered it to her. "Thanks. ...I'm sorry I hit you."

"It's okay," Sebastian shrugged. "Only stung for a minute." Lily blushed with a smile, turning her focus down to the towel wiping her hands. "But, seriously, Lil, I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm not upset," she told him, folding the towel to lay on the counter before going back to the salad bowl.

"Okay," he shrugged to himself, lazily spinning to follow her back to the island and leaning back into the counter edge to see her face. "So, then can we talk about it?"

"What's there to talk about?" she asked, busying herself with mixing the salad.

"Come on," Sebastian smirked. "Don't try an be coy with me."

"Okay," Lily gave in, with a huff. "What do you want me to say?" She shook her head, chasing a piece of lettuce that fell out of the bowl to the floor. "It was very sweet of you," she told him, taking the dropped food to the garbage can, "and I think that you're-"

"Here it comes," Sebastian groaned, with a humorless smile, folding his arms as he dropped and shook his head, before looking back up any her.

Lily sighed, giving him a sideways look. "Well, what did you think was gonna happen?"

He shrugged. "That maybe you'd sleep on it and realize what a catch I am?"

She picked up the salad bowl and paused on her way to the refrigerator to reluctantly smile at him. "You're my friend," she reminded him. "Honestly, one of, if not,  _the_ best I've ever had." Sebastian smiled proudly. "But, Bas, this is just such a- We're good together like this. You know what I mean? As friends."

"Not really, no," he told her. He held out an upturned hand to question, "Lil, if we're so good together, don't ya think we could get even better?"

"It doesn't work like that," she disagreed. "You can't just exchange one thing for the other. Even if you could, then that means the thing you traded is gone. And that means you can't have it again."

"No," Sebastian argued, his raised hand clenching closed to match the emphasis of his small retort. "That means you get both." Lily was already shaking her head before he finished the sentence. "Oh, you're not even gonna let me finish?"

"Did you have something you didn't say before?" she asked.

"Not exactly," he conceded, "but I kind of got the impression you weren't really listening to me before." When Lily crossed the kitchen to go to the next room, he pushed off the counter to go with her. "Ya know, like how you're not really listening now? ...Benny, when I said I love you, I-"

In the space between the living room and dining room, Lily stopped to turn around and see him, and Sebastian stopped just short of running into her. "You don't love me," Lily firmly explained.

"I don't?" Sebastian checked.

"No," she told him. "You love the _idea_ of me."

"The idea of-" Sebastian scoffed in curiosity, cut off again by Lily going on to the stairs. He kept after her, saying, "That's not a thing, Lil. How does someone love the idea of somebody else?"

Trudging up the stairs, Lily's shoulders sagged and she sighed. "It's not me," she insisted. "It could be anyone. You hit a spot in life and, all of a sudden-" Lily gestured broadly, looping her wrist in little circles over her head. "One day you wake up and you want something. A wife, kids, whatever, and you-"

"Lil, I'm not asking you to marry me," he snickered, rounding the top of the stairs and down the hallway after her.

"Of course not," she agreed. "The point is, you decide you want something and anybody could be that, if you imagine it hard enough."

"So, I'm imagining this whole thing?" he wondered. Sebastian pointed limply between himself and Lily. "That I don't actually think you're incredible and smart, talented an' funny? And you, sure as hell, aren't one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, because I'm just projecting some kind of midlife crisis, or some other bullshit, on _you_ because you happen to be standing here?"

Lily nodded. "Yes," she insisted.

Sebastian paused a beat, almost dumbfounded. "You're gonna make me take back what I just said about you being smart," he warned her. Lily rolled her eyes, trying hard not to smile, as she continued on toward her room. On her heels, he added, "I know you like me, Lil. I know you care. What's the big deal about taking a leap here and seeing what happens?"

"Of course, I like you," she assured him. "You're a great guy, one of the kindest, most genuine people I've ever met." Sebastian grinned at the compliment. "But I just don't think we...click that way."

"Why not?' he questioned, his grin falling. "We've got the friends thing down, we've got great chemistry, we have fun together and-"

Lily put up a finger to interrupt. "Okay, playing a married couple and some good reviews do not the basis of a relationship make."

"Rave," he reminded her. " _Rave_ reviews about our chemistry."

"About Stella and Stan's chemistry," she corrected.

"Hey," Sebastian shrugged. "It had to come from somewhere."

"Yes," she sarcastically nodded. "In the stage directions and notes in the margins."

"Not all of it," he told her.

"Bringing the page to life," Lily quoted one of her Tisch instructors, "is what we do."

Sebastian quirked up an eyebrow. "You didn't feel anything at all?" he wondered, sweeping a hand out to invite her to give the question some consideration. "All those rehearsal hours, sometimes two shows a day of making out with me...nothin'?"

Lily felt her cheeks blush and she shook her head at his stubbornness. "Yeah, actually, I felt a little aggravation the day you and Ian were snacking on those nasty sub sandwiches during the first Sunday matinee and you had the worst-"

"Oh, come on," he groaned, his head lolling back, with a guilty smile. "I brushed my teeth before the next show."

"Thank god," Lily rolled her eyes.

"Okay," Sebastian declared, "the _one_ time I didn't have a mint on hand, put that aside. You're saying allll those other kisses we had, all of me holding onto you, that you never _once_ thought 'Hey, this is pretty good'? That the whole thing was just static, as an actor?"

"You're so full of yourself," Lily shook her head, unable to stop her shoulders from shaking with her stifled laugh. "You may be pretty, Stan, but you're not all things to all women."

"Answer the question, Benny," he chided her.

Lily pursed her lips in a tight smile, shaking her head. He wasn't going to let up. She couldn't just tell him what he wanted to hear, because it would only make him stay. She couldn't keep up with her denials, because he wouldn't believe her. Mostly because she didn't quite believe them herself. But Lily could be insufferably stubborn. She refused to believe that his interest was anything more than an infatuation that had grown out of playing the roles they had in the production.

She couldn't deny they'd grown closer over her time in New York. Between work and their evenings together, they were practically inseparable. Lily knew she enjoyed the company and it was the most time they had ever shared together over the course of their friendship. After going so long without seeing each other, it was amazing to her the way they picked up where they had left off. She'd have a hard time convincing anyone that Sebastian wasn't charming, kindhearted, a loyal friend, handsome, or any of the other lines on the long list of things she knew about him. 

But there was a small irrational fear, whispering in the back of her mind, reminding her of all the failed relationships and friends she'd lost to people trying to use her. It was absurd. Sebastian had everything he could want for himself already. Lily knew better than to think anything he'd said was about getting something out of her. But from the moment she realized what he was saying the other night, the alarm went off in her head.

The other problem was, Lily couldn't shake practicality. Sebastian was a logistical nightmare. He was dug in like a tick to the east coast, while Lily lived on the west, and she knew they would drift apart for it. If that weren't a problem, two actors, each with their own careers, shooting in different locations around the world for weeks or months at a time was a lonely life to even imagine. If the paparazzi were bad before, they would be downright ravenous to get the next top dollar shot of her and Sebastian together. She didn't have to work hard to imagine a dozen sound arguments about why it wouldn't work. Which is why it was so implausible and distracting to have the one thought that torpedoed everything she knew made sense. The idea that she did like the way he held her on stage, or any other time he put an arm around her, for that matter. That kissing him stopped being a stage direction in the script and seemed more like a perk of the job, after a few weeks of rehearsal. 

"Come on, Lil," Sebastian coaxed, tilting his chin to give her an impatient look.

"'Come on' what?" she huffed, stalling, looking around for an escape. "Say that you weren't the worst fake husband to pretend to fool around with on a production? Okay. Done. There you go."

"So, you admit it?" Sebastian lead her on. "There was a connection."

"I'm not admi-"

"Just admit it, Lil," he begged, coughing out a disbelieving laugh. "What's the big deal?" He held a hand out to her, before pointing back at himself. "I'm the only one out on a limb here. What have you got to be afraid of?"

Lily ran her tongue along her teeth behind her lips, folding her arms defiantly, as she shook her head. "Plenty," she insisted.

The strength of the answer surprised Sebastian and he stood a little straighter. "You don't have to be afraid of me," he assured her.

She shook her head, more at herself than in any kind of disagreement with him. "I'm not afrai-" Lily sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and shutting her eyes. "It's complicated. Alright? People-" Her hand fell to her side again. "I don't have a good track record with..." Lily's hand circled helplessly in the air, as she searched for the words. "Making relationships work."

"We're not rehashing something," he pointed out. "Whoever you dated before doesn't matter now. It doesn't matter whatever happened. This is new. This is you and me."

"It does matter," Lily said. "Listen, you don't want to be a part of this. I am damaged goods. I've got baggage, trust issues, whatever you wanna call it. You got a bad experience? I've got twenty. It never works out. Things always end bad. In the papers or in private, it always ends up bad. I know you don't need me for anything. You've got you're own name and career, your own money. But I'm trying to salvage the little bit of dignity I've got left."

"You think dating me would be undignified?"

"No," she winced, shaking her head. 

"Well, at least you heard how dumb that sounded," he smirked. "Honestly, Lil, I'm not hearing a single solid argument out of you."

"Of course, you're not," she groaned, "because you're not listening."

He held out his hands, waiting for the explanation. "Well, go on then."

Lily had run out of weak excuses and half-assed explanations. She shrugged helplessly, her mouth opening for another feeble evasion when she was spared the struggle. Lisa called up from the bottom of the stairs to say lunch was almost ready. Sebastian's shoulders dropped at the interruption as Lily called that they would be right down. He'd lost his chance and was a little heartbroken to see Lily jump for her chance to get out of the conversation, heading for the stairs again.

Lunch in the sunshine beside the beach was the distraction Lily needed from her thoughts. Being surrounded by everyone else provided the perfect buffer between her and Sebastian. They talked about plans for dinner and Lisa tempted Lily with talk of some main street boutiques she might enjoy. The ladies planned for an afternoon of shopping the next day. After lunch, most of the afternoon was spent outside. Lily and Lisa took a barefooted stroll down the beach, with Drew not far behind, this time, to keep watch.

Later that night, after dinner, the group sat around the end of the dining room table. Eddie had mentioned the stack of board game boxes in the hall closet and Lisa had been a little more than excited when he suggested dusting off Monopoly for the evening's entertainment. The game took them into the midnight hour. The two bottles of wine made the game a bit more boisterous and cutthroat than it was probably originally meant to be. In the end, Sebastian was the shrewd, and slightly heartless, owner of just about everything. A fact he was more than proud to rub in everyone's faces more than once.

In the morning, Lily's tired eyes rolled at the little number over the email icon on her phone. She inched up to sit a little straighter in the bed, resting against the headboard as she lazily scrolled through her mail. There were a couple revamped offers from company's courting her for her vacant management position, a note from Jessica forwarding some reminders about her upcoming schedule on her return to Los Angeles, and a message each from Sony and her possible director. Lily sat up, crossing her legs in front of her and biting her lip as she opened the email from the studio. An excited flush rose through Lily's cheeks and she held her breath to keep from squealing with delight. It was a direct offer from the production company's casting director for the part of Emma. Without current management representation, they copied the offer to Lily and her agent.

Lily grabbed the spare pillow from beside her, hugging it tightly and muffling an excited scream. She bounced in her seat, smiling like a fool as she opened up the message from the film's director. He briefly addressed the studio offer for the role and added a personal note saying he hoped she would accept the part. He went on to compliment her on the audition she had sent in and tell her how eager he was to have her sign on. The message made short mention of some potential time tables for shooting and an optimistic start for screen tests to cast the rest of the film, if she accepted. Without hesitation, Lily wrote out a quick message to her agent, accepting the part and requesting talks for negotiations and finalization of the contract begin as soon as possible. 


	24. Chapter 24

Lily practically bounded down the stairs for breakfast. She was the second one downstairs, after Drew. All but skipping over to him, Lily hooked her arms around his neck for a quick, but tight, hug, telling him to ask why she was so happy.

Drew finished typing a text and set his phone aside to smile at Lily. "I could probably think of a half dozen things," he told her, before a sip of his coffee. "Why don't you save me the trouble of guessing."

Mid-pour of a cup of coffee for herself, Lily told him. "I got the offer. I got the part. I'm Emma!"

"No shit?" he smiled. "Congratulations."

"Oh, my god," Lily breathed, spooning some sugar into her drink. "I'm so excited."

"I can tell," Drew chuckled.

"This is gonna be something," she promised him, palming a hand over her belly. "Oh, I can feel it, D. This is going to be something special."

"When do you start?" he asked, glancing over as his phone vibrated with a new message.

"Nothing solid yet," Lily shrugged. "But they're looking at two weeks from Tuesday, optimistically, to start casting calls. I emailed Carolyn to accept the offer and set up talks for the contract. We get that nailed down fast enough and they should be ready for screen tests with me by the end of May, early June." A thought struck Lily, and she half-mumbled to herself, "Of course, that'll mean shuffling some other things around. Shit." She shook her head and her expression brightened again. "Fuck it. We'll figure it out."

"Are we still on track to leave Saturday?" Drew checked, eyes on his phone as he responded to his message.

Lily hummed her answer into her coffee mug. "Saturday," she nodded.

Lily could barely contain her enthusiasm over breakfast as she told everyone about her offer. Lisa was completely enthralled, asking question after question of Lily about the film and the process of making the movie happen. Sebastian had given her his congratulations with everyone else's. He smiled proudly as he listened to Lily go on at length about the project after everyone's meal was finished. Lily's own smile was irrepressible, as she spoke.

Showered and ready for the day, Lily and Lisa went into town with Drew. They poked around in some of Lisa's favorite shops and had a quiet lunch, dining in the sun on the restaurant's patio. Lisa took a phone call from her husband, over coffees for dessert. Eddie suggested they all go out to dinner to celebrate Lily's new role. He made a reservation for the group at a small, but elegant, Italian place he knew the owner of. Lily was flattered by the gesture.

Lily and Lisa shared the larger master bathroom to get ready for dinner, chatting and giggling side by side over the double sinks. Lisa borrowed a pair of emerald earrings Lily had tried on and passed, after Lisa helped her pin up her hair for the night. The men in the house were dressed and ready, with noticeably less effort. Never the less, they all looked handsome in their jackets and ties.

The owner of the restaurant greeted them at their table, after Eddie had asked the hostess to let him know they had arrived. Drew ate and watched the room from a high legged chair at the corner of the bar. The owner, a balding man named Dominic, poured their first glasses of wine for them, welcoming Eddie and Lisa back and introducing himself to the first time diners, as he told them about the specials for the night.

Over dinner, the group toasted Lily's new project. Lily summarized the film's story and was sure to compliment Sebastian for all his help and encouragement. He took the thanks with a humble grin and lifted his glass to Lily, saying she did all the hard work. Over desserts and coffee, Lisa prodded Lily for details and inside scoops behind a couple of the movies she enjoyed that Lily had starred in. Lily was more than happy to oblige and the table was delighted to listen. Sebastian couldn't help but notice, and appreciate, how Lily seemed truly happy again.

Before calling for the check, the women excused themselves to the restroom. There was an upscale bar, that was never too crowded this early in the season, that Lisa had suggested getting a nightcap or two at. It was still early and she thought it would be fun to keep the little celebration going. The ladies touched up their hair in the mirror and headed back to the table. Coming down the small hallway from the restrooms back into the dining area, they came to a sudden halt, stopped by a man with a small handheld camcorder.

"Lily Benjamin," he smiled. "Wow. Didn't think you were actually here. What brings you to Montauk?"

Lily's breath hitched and she put up a hand in front of her face. She had nowhere to go except backwards and she turned to head back to the restroom. The photographer called her name behind her, as Lisa walked with her and tried to shoo the paparazzo away. Lily slipped back into the bathroom door and fell back against it, as soon as Lisa was inside. Outside, the man apologized for startling her and asked her to come back out.

"Lily, come on. Say hello to your fans. Is that Sebastian Stan at your table? Who else is with you?"

"Jesus fucking Christ," Lily breathed out, shaking her head, as she slumped a little against the door. "She did see me. The girl at the store..."

Lisa reached out a hand to her shoulder, looking worriedly at the door behind her. "What do we do?" she asked. "Do we-"

There was a hard thump against the door and both Lily and Lisa jumped. Lily backed away from the door when there was a second thud on the wall and they heard Drew outside.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Drew demanded. The girls inched closer to the door to listen. "Are you really this fuckin' stupid?"

"Are you?" the photog bit back. "This is being recorded, dumbass. _The_ Drew Madison assaulting me, on video."

"Nobody's assaulting you yet," Drew spat. "Get your ass out of here."

"I got every- Hey, get off my cam-"

The bathroom door opened and a man, in a shirt and tie with sandy blonde hair, edged in quickly. Startled, Lisa clutched Lily's hand and pulled her back a step. The man shut the door hard and fast, spinning around to look over the room.

"Ms. Benjamin," he nodded, putting his hand on the door behind him to brace it closed, since there was no lock.

"Holy shit. Jason?" Lily managed, finding her breath again.

"Sorry about all this," he said, with an apologetic frown and gesture toward the hall outside.

"And I don't know who _you_ are, but I want your name," the paparazzo insisted, the argument still going on outside.

"I'll give you three seconds to give me that SD card, and anything else you got, and get the fuck outta here," Drew offered.

"Three seconds," the man scoffed. "I'm not giving you shit. I got all I need to sue both your asses right now."

"You got yourself on tape violating a restraining order, dumbass," Drew corrected him. "You're way closer than 300 feet."

"Oh my god." Lily gaped, pointing at the door. "Is that Ellison?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jason nodded. "I'm sorry, Ms. Benjamin. We've been at the bar all night. He must've snuck in the back."

"This isn't LA," the man argued.

"That restraining order's enforceable in all 50 states, you moron," Drew informed him. "You wanna keep testing my patience, or do you want to give me the god damn card?"

"Who's Ellison?" Lisa worried.

"This asshole photographer from home," Lily sighed, putting her hand up to her brow.

"Do you want to press charges?" Jason asked, still holding the door.

Lily shook her down turned head. "Wait for Drew."

"Anything else?" Drew asked and there was another dull thump on the wall. "Go on. Get the fuck outta here."

There was a few quiet seconds and Jason moved his hand to the door handle, waiting as he listened. There was a soft knock on the door and Jason opened it a sliver to see outside. He nodded and opened the door. Drew came in and Jason stepped out, pulling the door shut, quickly, behind him. Drew looked at Lily and Lisa, before settling his attention on Lily.

Drew sighed tiredly, his shoulders dropping, as he stepped in front of Lily. "You alright, Lil?"

She nodded and Lisa began to soothingly rub her hand on Lily's arm, as she looked on in worry. "Is he gone?" Lisa asked.

"He's probably outside waiting," Drew admitted. He put a hand on Lily's shoulder. "We'll get you out of here in a minute. Just wait here. Jay's going to be right outside, if you need him." He turned to Lisa. "Come with me, please."

Lily nodded and Drew went back into the hall, with Lisa in tow. Eddie and Sebastian were on their feet at the table, waiting anxiously with the restaurant owner. Beside them, Brandon, a barrel chested man with a trimmed beard and faux hawk hairstyle and another man in Drew's employ, watched the dining room and front door. The restaurant wasn't crowded, but Drew's sudden flight from the bar, with his two cohorts at his heels, had caught almost everyone's attention.

"Hey, thanks for coming out," Drew said, quickly, to Brandon, reaching out for a shake of his hand.

"No problem," Brandon said, giving Drew a set of car keys. "Back of the building is clear. They're all up front."

Drew nodded and turned to Sebastian and the others. "We're going home," he informed them, quietly. He looked at Eddie. "I need your car keys," he said.

"Sure," Eddie agreed, handing them over without hesitation.

"This is Brandon," Drew explained, making a short gesture at the man, as he handed Brandon Eddie's keys. "He's going to take you home in your car. Silver Navigator in the West edge of the lot, next to me." Drew pointed to the keys in Brandon's hand. "He'll bring your car around to the back," he said, looking over to the owner, who nodded his helpfulness. Drew turned back to Brandon, adding, "Jay'll run interference for you with my car."

"What about Lily?" Sebastian asked, inching forward.

"I'll get her back to the house," Drew assured him. "Right now, I need dipshit, and anyone else outside, paying attention to the cars we came in. So, get everybody's things together," he told them, inclining his head to Lisa's purse and the coats at the table, as he reached into his pocket. Drew thumbed out five hundred dollar bills with a business card and handed them to Dominic. "That should cover the table, myself and the two guys at the other end of the bar. Call this number if we're short and we'll settle up tomorrow."

The owner began to protest, pulling back his hands from the offered money. "That's too much-"

"For the trouble, then, sir," Drew insisted and Eddie nodded his approval to his friend.

"Give me a moment to talk to Jay and get him in the lot with my SUV," Drew instructed Brandon. "Get the cars running, wait three minutes, then come around back. They'll be expecting us out front, so they won't have time to catch up 'round back."

"You got it," Brandon nodded and headed for the front door.

"Sir," Drew began, turning back to Dominic, "if you could take these folks to the kitchen door, please."

"Of course," Dominic smiled, holding an arm out to beg everyone to come with him, as Drew headed back to the restroom hallway. Dominic escorted his guests to the back of the restaurant, his apology fading as they turned into the kitchen and Drew moved on. "I'm so sorry about this, Ed. Our busboy was taking out the trash and the man just- He didn't mean to let him in. He's only 18, he tried..."

Drew handed Jason his keys and rattled off the license plate of the rental in the lot. He told Jason where it was parked, to meet up with Brandon again, and told him to follow Brandon around to the back. As Jason left, Drew knocked softly on the bathroom door and said Lily's name. The door opened slowly, as Lily peeked outside. Drew stepped in and Lily moved back to lean, tiredly, against the sink counter.

"The boys will take everyone home," he told her, leaning his shoulder into the door and pocketing his hands casually. "We'll wait a few minutes and then I'll bring the car around for you. ...I'm sorry he got in. The owner said he blew by some kid taking the trash out."

"It's nobody's fault," Lily shook her head. "Who's here with Jason?"

"Brandon's here," Drew said and checked his watch. "Ami should be landing in an hour or so."

"When did the others get here?" she asked, her curiosity sounding a little detached.

"Late this morning," he shrugged. "They've been sittin' on the house and tailing us since. When Ami gets here, I was going to cut them down to eight hours shifts."

Lily took a deep breath and shook her head. "Were you going to tell me or just send me the bill?" she tried to smile.

"It's out of my company's budget for now," he explained. "I thought, just for a few days to feel it out." Drew paused. "I had the office start watching online and there was a blip on Twitter, but it didn't have a lot of life. I didn't want to wait and see. There's no need to bill, if you want to go back to LA," he offered. "If you want to stay the rest of the week, we'll figure it out later."

"Later," she nodded, looking down at the floor. "Yeah, let's just get out of here." Lily put her head in her hands. "God, what a mess. What a fucking mess." She looked up, her face pinching with worry, gesturing to the door. "God, making a scene, embarrassing Eddie and Lisa in front of their friend like tha-"

"It's fine," Drew said, holding up a hand to stop her before tucking it back in his pocket. "Nobody's embarrassed. I took care of things with the owner. We're gonna get you out of here in a few minutes. Everything's fine. Trust me."

"I can't stay here." Lily muttered the realization, her eyes searching the floor, as she shook her head again and braced her arms down into the counter behind her. "If Ellison is here... You know that son of a bitch isn't the only one."

"We'll talk about it when we get back to the house," he assured her. "One thing at a time. Just let me do my job."

The ride back to the beach house was quiet. In the back of the SUV Jason and Brandon had been using, Lily sat huddled in her seat behind Drew as he drove. He'd already taken two phone calls from Jason, updating him on the few photographers they had encountered in the parking lot and the progress home of Sebastian and his friends. Jason and Brandon had taken them a winding and unusual way back to the house to ensure they weren't being followed, after they shook the paparazzi. In the anonymity of the third SUV, Drew drove Lily directly home.

Ellison and a pair of other photographers had taken the bait and kept their focus on Eddie and Drew's cars. After he received a text from Brandon, saying they were away and that the photographers had begun to follow, Drew took Lily with him out the front door of the restaurant. No one else was paying attention anymore.

Once they were safely in the car, Drew had asked her if she was okay. Lily nodded and hummed her affirmative reply. She said nothing else. She threw occasional glances over shoulder out the back window, for her own peace of mind. The rest of her ride home was spent absentmindedly biting at her lip.

At the beach house, Lily watched the road ahead from around the side of Drew's seat. She spotted the SUV they had left Manhattan in a few houses away from Eddie and Lisa's house. Drew's phone rang and, leaned up near Drew's seat, Lily could hear Jason telling Drew there was no one following their car and no one had come down the street for the last five minutes. Drew hung up the phone, without a word, and turned into the driveway. Putting the SUV in park and shutting off the engine, Drew sighed, twisting the rearview mirror to look at Lily.

"You alright?" he asked again.

Lily looked up, nodding. "Yeah. I just want to go upstairs."

"Okay," Drew agreed, with a reassuring grin.


	25. Chapter 25

Drew opened the car door for Lily and she gingerly slid out, while Drew kept watch down the driveway. From around the side of the house, Brandon appeared. He joined Drew and Lily on the walk up to the house, telling his boss that he'd made a check of the beach and he and Jason were confident no one knew where to find them. Drew ushered Lily ahead of him and she started up the stairs, hearing Brandon ask for the keys back and say he was on his way to pick up Ami from the airport. Lily went straight to her room.

From the kitchen, the voices of Eddie and Lisa stopped at the sound of the front door closing. Sebastian peered down the hall from the doorway, coming toward the foyer when he caught a glimpse of Drew talking to Brandon. He glanced up the stairs when he didn't see Lily and waited for Drew to finish giving Brandon instructions, folding his arms.

"Whichever one of you wants to take the hit first for the overnight," Drew said, "I want one of you out front tonight, just in case. Split the shift, if you need to."

"We'll take care of it," Brandon nodded and turned to leave.

As the door shut behind Brandon, Drew turned to meet Sebastian's expectant gaze. "Is she alright?" Sebastian checked.

"She's fine," Drew nodded, adding a small smile. "She went upstairs."

"Can I-"

Drew cut him off, putting up a hand to slow him. "Give her a little bit to settle in, first," he suggested.

"What happened?" Sebastian asked.

"Some piece of shit flew out from LA to follow up on a post on Twitter," Drew begrudgingly explained. "He's been a thorn in my side for a couple years, pushing in on her in cars and shit." He nodded his greeting to Eddie and Lisa, as they came down the hallway. "He apparently didn't think the restraining order worked in New York."

"Is she okay?" Lisa worried, looking around to the living room and then up the stairs when she didn't see Lily anywhere.

"She's upstairs," Drew said. "Sorry for the inconvenience for the evening."

"Inconvenience?" Eddie scoffed, with an awkward smile. "No."

"Forget us. I just feel awful for her," Lisa seconded. "Does she need anything? Maybe some tea, or something?"

"No, I think she's fine for now," Drew politely declined, pointing up the stairs. "But if you'll excuse me, please."

The group parted away from the staircase and Drew passed. They watched him turn at the top of the stairs and disappear into the hall. Eddie let out a heavy breath and shook his head.

"That was crazy," he said. 

"Poor Lily," Lisa frowned. She looked to Sebastian. "Did you know she had all those people here?"

Sebastian shook his head slowly. "Drew was the only one who came out from LA with her," he shrugged. "I don't know where they came from."

"Should we go check on her?" Lisa wondered, glancing between her husband and Sebastian.

"He said to wait," Sebastian told her.

"Well," Eddie pouted and shrugged, "I guess he would know." He tipped his head back toward the kitchen. "I don't know about you guys, but I could use a drink."

Lisa emphatically nodded her agreement, hooking her arm around her husband's as he started down the hall. She tugged at Sebastian's shirt sleeve to coax him along. He flashed a halfhearted smile and fell in line, after one last look up the staircase.

Lily picked her head up out of the cradle of her hands on her knees, turning her head to tell whoever had knocked on her door to come in. The door opened slowly, Drew's hand curling around the edge of the door before he leaned inside to look over the room. Lily flashed a weak smile, when Drew frowned and sighed at seeing her sitting on the floor with her back against the dresser. She didn't know why she was sitting there. Only that she was suddenly tired, when she finished changing into the camisole and yoga shorts she was calling her pajamas, and decided the floor was as good a place as any to sit and collect her thoughts.

Drew shut the door behind him. He slipped out of his suit coat, crossing to sit on the edge of the bed in front of her. With a quiet sigh, he folded his jacket and laid it out beside him. Lily pulled up her knees, folding her arms to pillow her head there. The room was still, for a long moment.

"What do you want me to do?" Drew finally asked.

"I don't know," was Lily's muffled reply, from behind her legs.

"Alright," Drew accepted. "One thing at a time. What to do you want me to do about Ellison?"

"What do you think we should do?" she checked, peeking her eyes over her arms.

Drew shrugged and wiped a hand over his mouth, before he leaned down into his knees and folded his hands. "I got the SD cards he had on him," he said. "I don't know how long he's been here, but he clearly violated the restraining order tonight. I'm going to look at whatever he has on the cards, when we're done talking. If you want to wait, I can let you know if I find anything and you can decide what to do with him then. Don't let it turn you off to the idea, but we'd have to come back to Montauk to testify for charges. I could probably swing it so me and the boys testify and you don't have to deal with him."

"Whatever you think is best," Lily told him, turning her head down again.

Drew left a small pause, before his next question. "Do you want to go home?"

Lily's shoulders fell with her sigh and she lifted her chin to rest on her arms. "I don't know," she groaned.

Nodding, Drew told her, "Brandon went to pick up Ami from the airport. Jason's outside. You can sleep on it and let me know in the morning." His eyes shifted between hers. "If you want to stay, I'll have the boys pick up some new cars. We'll keep watch on the house 'round the clock and I'll detail another set of eyes to travel with us, if you want to go out anywhere. I can have the full team out here by tomorrow night, or I've got one more guy on standby that can be out by morning. I can do as much or as little as you want." He tipped a hand to her. "If you want to stay, we won't let anyone else near you again, I promise. And the others won't even know we're here. You just tell me what you want me to do, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed.

Drew stood up, draping his suit jacket over his arm. He moved to stand in front of Lily, holding out his free hand and offering, "You want me to tell you what I find tonight, or wait till morning?"

"The morning's fine," Lily shook her head, standing with the help of Drew's seemingly effortless pull.

He put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a warm smile. "I heard the bar is open downstairs," he mentioned.

Smiling back, Lily declined. "I think I'm just gonna lay down."

"Okay," Drew nodded, turning to show himself out. "Get some rest."

Lily laid awake in her bed for some time. She was restless and couldn't fall asleep. A quick look at the alarm clock told her it was barely 10:30. She hadn't heard Drew leave his room since he left hers. She didn't know if that was a good thing or bad, taking a moment to fret over what pictures Ellison was able to get. There was some kind of compulsion she couldn't stop and she picked up her phone from the nightstand beside the bed. Sitting up a little higher on her pillow, Lily unlocked her phone and opened up the web browser, nervously chewing on her lip as she typed her name into the search bar.

The results were the usual smattering of the latest headlines about her and the NYC theater project and the last few appearances she had made in Los Angeles before her stage run. There were too many images to sort through and she narrowed the results by adding 'Montauk' to the query. There was a link to Twitter that she followed. She figured the page belonged to the grocery clerk, when she read, "OMG u guys I think I just saw lily Benjamin!!". Tapping back to her search, as she groaned her displeasure, Lily didn't see any new photos of her since New York City. Maybe no one had gotten anything on her. At least, no one had sold anything yet. But that could all change by morning. 

An out of sync chorus of footsteps on the stairs caught her attention. Glancing at the time on her phone, Lily didn't realize she had spent almost an hour scouring the Internet. She turned off the screen with a small yawn, setting the phone aside and scooting down in the bed again. Pulling the covers up to her chin, she listened to the footsteps outside part ways. She heard the clicks of doors latching closed for the night and the house was quiet again.

A few minutes later, Lily's eyes snapped open at the sound of a gentle knock on her door. She was surprised by how much the soft noise startled her and she shook her head, silently scolding herself for her nervous reaction. She figured she must have, finally, been on the edge of sleep when the knock came. It was a less embarrassing explanation than the idea that the flinch was part of some unreasonable panic that it was an intrusive paparazzo at her door in the middle of the night with Drew just down the hall and someone outside keeping watch for her.

Clearing her throat, Lily told her visitor to come in. The light was still on in the hallway and it wrapped around Sebastian from behind to shadow him as he sided in halfway through the door. 

"You still up, Lil?" he checked, with a politely hushed voice. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"I'm up," Lily smiled, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Are you okay?" Sebastian asked, leaning his shoulder back against the doorframe as he held onto the door in front of him.

"Oh, yeah," she airily replied. "Fine. Just a little more tired than I realized."

"You sure?" he worried. "You need anything?"

Lily tipped up a hand from the mattress and made a small wave. "No. I'm fine, thanks."

Sebastian nodded, seeming to hesitate, as he straightened up off the doorway. "Okay," he nodded again. "Well, let me know if you need something or you wanna talk."

"That's sweet," Lily smiled. "Thanks."

"Yeah," he smiled back. "G'night, Benny."

"Good night."

Lily had no such luck to have a good night like Sebastian had wished her. She wasn't hungry, but her stomach cramped and twisted. There wasn't a way she could find to be comfortable. When she managed to drift off to sleep, it felt like a flash and by no means restful. She jerked awake more than once, opening her eyes with a sense of sudden nervousness she couldn't explain and took several long minutes to swallow down each time. Maybe Lily should have taken Drew's tip about a drink.

Throwing aside the sheets, Lily put her feet on the floor and read the time on the alarm clock. 2:26. Without the blankets on her, Lily felt a chill and pulled a sweatshirt overhead before tiptoeing out of her room and down the stairs. Moving cautiously through the dark house, Lily fumbled her way into the kitchen. She found the small switch for the light above the sink and turned that on in lieu of lighting up the whole room with the regular light switch.

Taking a quick look across the counter, Lily settled on a bottle of Jack Daniels from the selection of liquor in the corner. She found a tumbler in the cabinet and took the glass and bottle with her to the dining room. A touch of moonlight and the edge of the glow from the tiny light in the kitchen showed her the way and she folded a leg underneath her, picking a chair that let her look out to the beach. She twisted her hair into a messy knot away from her face with a hair band she found in the pocket of her shirt. From her seat, Lily could see the white edges of the larger waves rolling in and it was a soothing sight to take in, with her generous helping of whiskey. 

At the end of her first glass, Lily tucked some stray hairs behind her ears and tugged up her hood to help ward off a chill on her neck. By the bottom of her second glass, she withdrew her fingers into the long sleeves of her hoodie. She frowned for a long moment at the contents of the bottle, silently cursing it for not warming her. In the middle of her third helping, Lily figured it was actually the chill of exhaustion she was fighting and sighed, miserable with the knowledge she wasn't sleeping well and her bed had never been more uncomfortable. Frustrated by the events of the night and her inability to sleep, Lily bit at her lip and dropped her head to her arm on the table, trying not to let her self-pitying sniffles turn into a sob.

Capping the bottle, after a parting shot of Jack to toast herself to a better night's sleep, Lily wiped her cheeks dry with the sweatshirt covered heels of her palms. Lily picked up her empty glass and the rest of the bottle of whiskey. Putting the liquor back with the other bottles on the counter, Lily left her glass in the sink and turned off the light. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness again and she crept back up the stairs.

Rounding the banister at the top of the stairs, Lily stopped. In the silence of the house, she heard a car driving down the street outside and she didn't breath again until she was sure it had passed. Lily shook her head, mad at herself for being afraid of such an ordinary thing as a car driving by. She sniffed, wiping the cuff of her shirt under her eye when she felt a warm, damp line draw down her cheek. Staring down the hall to the window that looked at the street, she shook her head at herself again, her eyes tracking the moving glow of a set of headlights from the next car to pass the house. 

"You're a fucking disaster," she whispered to herself.

"Lil?"

The soft question made her jump and she turned to look over her shoulder, quickly, clutching a hand to her stomach in fright. Her breath came back to her and she crushed her eyes closed, in a moment of shame at her racing heart in her chest. Putting a hand on the railing behind her to steady herself, Lily fixed on a smile and turned to show it to Sebastian.

"You startled me," she quietly admitted.

"What are you doing out here?" Sebastian whispered, tugging down the bottom of a t-shirt to meet the top of his shorts.

"I, uh, just wanted something to drink," she vaguely explained, jerking her thumb to the stairs behind her.

"You okay?" he checked.

Lily inhaled, hoping the rise in her posture from the deep breath translated to a show of confidence, when she felt the tightness in her throat. She was afraid if she spoke the strangle she felt would put a crack in her voice. Instead, she pressed her lips together and nodded, trying to swallow down her unwarranted nerves. Sebastian eyed her suspiciously, taking a half-step into the hall.

"Lil," he softly coaxed and she gave a small hum and raised her brow to say she was listening. "Lil, are you sure you're alright?"

Lily nodded again, lifting the corners of her tight lips into a small grin. She knew he believed it as little as she did, when his worried expression dropped with his shoulders. Balling her fists around the ends of her sleeves, she felt the heat in her face and the sting behind her eyes coming up again. She made a weak and flustered gesture toward her room and stuttered a step that way, confused for a moment by her want to hide and her urge to sell the charade by saying good night. In the resulting delay between thought and action, Lily ducked her head in embarrassment and hurried to her room.

Shutting the door behind her, she somehow managed to be thoughtful to let the handle twist slowly in her hand to stifle the sound of the latch catching and she locked the handle. Leaning back against the door, it was hard for Lily to breathe. Behind her, there was a gentle knock. If she could do better than the ragged gasps that threatened to choke her, Lily would have held her breath. As it was, all Lily could think to do was to clamp a sleeve covered hand over her mouth to hide the sounds of her anxious breathing.

From the hall, she heard Sebastian whisper her name to the door. She said it to herself, in her head, berating herself for panicking over a car on the street and being such a poor actress to not be able to convince Sebastian she was fine. There was another gentle rap on the door and Lily crushed her eyes tight, changing the tone in her mind to find a mantra to convince herself that everything was as fine as she was trying to convince everyone else. After a long moment, Liy heard the soft padding of his footsteps back to his room. She pressed her ear to the door, listening for the sound of his door closing and, when she heard it, she was finally able to pull in a deep breath again.

Lily stood there for what felt like a small eternity, resting her forehead against the cool finish of the door. The tears had stopped and she wiped at her face with the back of her fingers. She straightened up from the door, shaking her head clear and exhaling slowly. Lily was ashamed of herself for her little breakdown. It may have been the booze that made her think her apology to Sebastian couldn't wait until the morning, but Lily didn't argue.

Opening her door again, Lily crept slowly to Sebastian's room. Her fingertips dusting along the wall to keep her balance as she literally walked on her toes down the hall, Lily took slow, even breathes, determined not to crack again. She hesitated for a moment, having no idea of the time that had passed since he found her in the hall and wondering if he'd fallen asleep again. When she knocked on the door, the invitation to come in was almost instantaneous.

Peering around the door, Sebastian was just sitting up in bed to turn on the lamp on his nightstand. They both grimaced at the sudden brightness, as Sebastian questioned, "Benny?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, hanging on the door, as she inched into the doorway. "You said if-"

"No," he interrupted, shaking his head that she didn't need to explain and rolling his hand at the wrist to beckon her into the room. "Come in."

Lily slipped around the edge of the door, slowly shutting it behind her. Sebastian was just putting a foot on the floor, stretching down to the foot of the bed to grab his t-shirt to pull overhead again. Lily flashed a sheepish smile, as her mouth gaped open, not knowing where to begin and Sebastian raked a tired hand through his hair. Sebastian watched her for a moment, his lips pulling back in a small frown at the redness he noticed in her eyes.

"Sorry," she muttered, taking a couple of awkward steps, fidgeting with the sleeves pulled over her fingers. "I know it's late."

"It's alright, Lil," he promised.

Lily's smile of thanks was weaker than it had been before. Lost for how to explain or what to say, she shrugged again, quietly coughing out a nervous titter. Sebastian smiled, sympathetically. He tucked his leg under the one on the floor and gestured to the nearby chair in the room, asking if she wanted to sit down. Her hands still wringing, Lily nodded. Taking a step, she pointed at the chair, as if checking to see if he was sure it was alright. Sebastian nodded once, opening his hands wide in an invitation. Lily perched herself on the edge of the chair, folding her hands in her lap.

"What's going on, Lil?" Sebastian asked, disappointed by how small and frightened she seemed.

"I-" Lily stopped almost as soon as she started, turning her gaze down. "I just- Can't sleep."

She wasn't satisfied with what finally managed to come out of her mouth, but Sebastian nodded. "That's okay. I'll sit up with you till you're tired. You wanna talk?" he offered. "We can talk, get a drink. We can just sit here. Whatever you want."

Lily nodded, chewing on the side of her lower lip. She sighed and it was the last noise in the room for the next couple of minutes. It hit her again, the exhaustion she knew was there but had been temporarily warded off by her anxiety. To her right, Sebastian sat, waiting patiently. She glanced over and he gave her a gentle grin. Lily stood up and he raised his chin for his eyes to follow her.

Lily put a knee down on the mattress, crawling across to the empty half of the bed. She curled up on her side, tugging the corner of the extra pillow beside Sebastian's under her chin. Sebastian shook his head slowly, as she nestled into the pillow. He reached back and switched off the lamp. 

"C'mon," he sighed, giving a soft tug to the sheets under Lily. "You're gonna get cold."

Sebastian gave her a gentle nudge and Lily balled up, wiggling to push the covers down and slip underneath them. Beside her, Sebastian climbed back into bed, giving the sheet and blanket a quick flap to spread out evenly over them both. 

"Good night, Benny," Sebastian said, quietly.


	26. Chapter 26

Lily fell asleep rather quickly. Sebastian was awake for awhile, head lolled to the side on his pillow to see her sleeping form outlined in the light that crept in from the bedroom windows. Lily stirred, turning over from one shoulder to another and facing him. She settled again, eyes still shut in sleep as she drew her knees up and held the covers to her chin. Sebastian smirked to himself, his soft exhale barely a snort of amusement at the sight. He'd told her she'd be cold. 

Sebastian studied her for a long while. He worried for her, catching a faint whiff of the booze on her breath when she sighed into her pillow, and he hoped a pleasant dream. He held off judgment. After all, she had had a bit of a rough night. She deserved a drink to calm her nerves, if she wanted one. It was the way she did it that gave him pause; alone, in the middle of the night. It sounded like what Drew had confided to him back in New York and he considered that it was something to keep an eye on and, maybe, pass on to Drew.

Sebastian changed his mind, shaking his head at himself. Lily wasn't in trouble. She was just shaken up. She would be better after a good night's rest. He pulled the sheets up a little higher and turned over to go to sleep.

It took her a moment to remember where she was. Lily's tired eyes barely slit open in the dark. When her eyes wandered from the ceiling to Sebastian's resting face beside her, it all came back. Lily recalled how she got there, her head a touch fuzzy from the drinks she'd had downstairs. Whatever time it was, it was still dark outside. A fact which Lily was grateful for, as she let out a long exhale and pointed her toes to stretch under the warm blankets.

Lily's gaze fell back on Sebastian and her ears tuned to the soft snore that he made. The gentle noise was soothing and mildly amusing to her. She easily slipped her arms out of her hoodie sleeves, pulling the shirt off over head and tossing it to the end of the bed. She was slightly over warmed with Sebastian so near. Lily smoothed her bunched up camisole down her stomach again and folded her hands there, fixing her eyes on the ceiling.

She debated with herself, wondering what Drew would tell her he found in the morning, whether she should go home to LA. Her fame had already interrupted one night for Sebastian and his friends. This was Eddie and Lisa's retreat from the choas of the city and she was disturbing the peace. A pang of guilt, at the disruption she had been, twisted Lily's gut and she breathed in slowly, trying to ward off the heat she felt building in her eyes again.

Lily turned, twisting on her side and shutting her eyes tight, wishing for sleep to come back to her. In front of her, there was a small catch in Sebastian's breathing and he pressed his cheek deeper into his pillow. That small hitch redirected Lily's thoughts and she was suddenly saddened by the prospect of leaving. She had enjoyed making new friends, but, more importantly, she knew it'd be a disappointment to Sebastian, her best friend. She felt like she couldn't win, whether she stayed or went.

Lily inched carefully, straightening out again, as she nuzzled into Sebastian's chest, her head finding a place in the space between his downturned chin and throat. He didn't seem to wake at the touch, but Sebastian's arm draped unconsciously over her, flexing gently for a moment in a limp hug of sorts. His breathing was steady, warm through her hair, and it gave her a peaceful feeling.

Sebastian had become accustomed to telling time by the light on the walls. He could guess within a quarter hour what time it was by the height and breadth of the sunlight painting the room. Looking now, he figured it was just after 8. He had no interest to check any of the devices on the nightstand to be certain. His phone and watch and the alarm clock beside them weren't worth the trouble or risk of moving to see. Partly because he was on vacation and didn't really care. Mostly because he didn't want to wake Lily.

Her fingertips twisted unconsciously at the front of his t-shirt, taking a bit of slack away from his ribs. Her head buried against his chest and under his chin sent soft runs of warmth through his shirt, as she breathed quietly. Sebastian turned his face down to her hair, taking in the subtle scent left of her shampoo from the night before. With his shoulder under her neck and an arm folded along her back, Lily seemed as comfortable as he was. With Lily's foot splitting his ankles and Sebastian's knee bent slightly to rest over hers, he realized it was the closest they'd ever been and he found himself praying the world into silence so the moment wouldn't end.

He got his wish for several long minutes. In the hall outside, he listened to footsteps pass to the bathroom and more going up and down the stairs. It wasn't any of those small noises that woke her. It was just time. 

Still curled up to him, Lily's forehead turned into Sebastian's chest, hiding from the sunshine in the room. She hummed softly as she stretched her legs out long and shrugged her shoulders in his embrace. Sebastian tipped his chin down to try and see her, but she was hidden behind the pile of loosely mussed hair as she turned her face down again. The tiny tension on the spot she held on his t-shirt unwound and Lily's hand folded over her side, letting him go.

In an awkward moment of hesitation, Lily scooted back and Sebastian withdrew his arm to let her. "Sorry," she muttered, quietly.

"For what?" Sebastian asked, shifting to stretch one arm up while he scratched at his scalp before a yawn.

Lily gave a quick frown. "For, you know," she shrugged with her brow and pulled a hand from under the blanket to wave at the spot she had just left. 

"That's okay," he promised, folding his arms under his pillow and rolling onto his stomach. Sebastian's eyes wandered over her face. "Feel better?" She nodded and hummed her answer against her pillow, shyly tucking her hair behind her ears, as he said, "You must have been tired. You fell asleep pretty quick."

Her lips pulled back in a tight, flash of a grin, as she apologized again. "I guess so," she said. "I didn't mean to crowd you."

"Never," he promised, with a warm smile. Sebastian's smile broadened at seeing her bashful grin in reply.

"You're always too nice to me," she feigned complaint. 

"Somebody oughta be," Sebastian joked and Lily shook her head, with a small giggle. "You okay?" he checked, after their smiles dissolved again.

"Yeah," Lily decided, with a small nod on her pillow. She sighed. "I have to talk to Drew."

It was Sebastian's turn to nod. "You going home now?" he asked, surprised at how calm and evenly the question came.

Lily's mouth pursed in a thoughtful pout and she shrugged. "We have to talk."

"Okay," Sebastian accepted, swallowing down the urge to try and get her to say longer or convince her why not to leave. "You hungry? Want to go down for breakfast?"

Lily nodded, pausing for a moment before she pushed the sheets aside. "Thanks for letting me sleep over," she offered.

Sebastian rose up onto his elbows, pulling his arms out from under his pillow one at a time. "Anytime," he smiled, snorting at the open invitation when Lily did.

He felt no shame watching her roll over and get out of bed. He'd pictured it enough times in his head lately to not have his expression betray him. He stole a quick look, as she pulled her sweatshirt back on, admiring the soft lines of her trim waist under her clinging camisole, as she reached her arms up. She let herself out the door when he was just putting his feet on the floor, missing his rapt attention at the way she absentmindedly ran a finger under each hem of her snug shorts to pull them down from the bottom of the curve of her ass. He had no shame.

Lily walked softly down the hall, trying to keep her bare feet from touching the cool wooden floor for very long. She stopped to knock on Drew's door. Getting no answer, she went to her own room to change, guessing he was already downstairs. Lily traded her shorts for a pair of pants and combed her fingers through her hair before knotting it up into a fresh bun. She was anxious to talk to Drew and wasn't concerned with taking the time to put anymore effort into her appearance. 

Stepping into her slippers, Lily grabbed her phone from where she'd left it on the dresser the night before. As she made her way downstairs, she heard voices ahead of her and worried that she might be the last one up. Turning from the bottom of the stairs, she found Drew standing in the living room and talking with Jason and, the most recent arrival of his employees, Ami. Lily burrowed her hands into the pouch pocket of her hoodie, flashing a meek smile to the men, when they paused their conversation as she stepped into the room.

"Good morning, Ms. Benjamin," Jason smiled, despite looking quite tired.

"Ms. Benjamin," Ami nodded, with a polite grin.

"Hello, boys," Lily said. "Thank you for coming out. I know it was short notice."

"No worries," Jason told her.

"I'll be with you, in one minute," Drew told her and Lily nodded. He turned back to Jason, checking his watch and saying, "Get some sleep. Be back on post by 8. I'll let you know before then, if anything changes or were headed home." Looking at Ami, Drew added, "After you drop off Jay, switch out vehicles. You got the address for the rental place, just sign for the new one and make sure it's topped off."

"You got it boss," Ami agreed, tipping his head for Jason to go with him. 

Lily smiled and waved in reply to Jason and Ami's professional goodbyes, on their way out the front door. To her right, Lily noticed the dulled noises of dishes in the kitchen making their way through the house and she craned her neck from where she stood to see if anyone was in the dining room. Seeing no one, Lily turned her attention to Drew.

"Did you look at his pictures?" she asked, a bit more hesitantly than she expected it to sound.

"I did," Drew told her, gesturing for Lily to have a seat.

Lily tucked herself into the corner of the couch, pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging her arms around her legs. "Did he have anything?"

Drew cocked his head, with a noncommittal shrug. "The video from the restaurant," he noted. "Some photos from dinner last night. There's some glare from the lights in the parking lot and a few other customers in the way, but they'd be decent enough to run online. I wouldn't be able to say if he's got more or copies of what he already had."

"Are they online?" she asked, a feeling of dread starting to twist her gut.

"It's still early in LA," he explained. "So, no, not yet."

"How long do you think he's been here?" she worried.

"It looks like since Monday," Drew admitted. "Digital stamps on the photos say as much and he's got some long lens pictures of some public places he was probably trying to scout out to find you."

"Did he find me?" Lily checked, fisting her hands to hide in the long ends of her sweatshirt.

Drew shook his head. "No. He doesn't have anything before last night."

"Wanna take a stab at how he found us?" she tried to smile.

"I'm sure he came out on the tweet from the girl at the store," Drew sighed. "As for last night, there's a cellphone picture someone put on Facebook of you walking into the restaurant. I'm sure he was checking hashtags and shit, since he got here." He gave her a moment, while Lily nodded and digested what he had told her. "Will we be staying?" he finally asked.

The sound of tired feet scuffing down the stairs pulled Drew and Lily's attention to the hall. Sebastian paused, midway through his lazy turn around the end of the banister as he was heading to the kitchen. His eyes settled on Lily for a moment before flicking over to Drew and back again. He gave them a small wave and smile, not wanting to interrupt and having no doubt he knew what they were talking about. On his way down the hall, Sebastian frowned, with a slight shake of his head, at seeing Lily look so small on the couch, balled up like she was hiding again.

When the sound of footsteps disappeared, Drew turned back to Lily, who was biting at her thumb nail peeking out from the end of her sleeve. "Lily?" he reminded her of the question he had asked a minute ago.

"Yeah," she distractedly answered. Lily shook her head, pulling her hands out of her sleeves to wave one dismissively, as her thoughts came back to the present. "No, just, um...just let me think about it for a bit."

"And the police?" Drew asked, nodding away her last answer. "You want me to have Ellison charged?"

"Ugh, no," Lily decided. "Fuck that guy. I don't want to deal with him right now. Maybe he got some sense knocked into him last night."

"Maybe some," he suggested, nonchalantly pocketing his hands.

The notion that there was some persuasion implied with the noises in the hall outside the bathroom at the restaurant last night put a small smirk on Lily's face. "But if I see him again," Lily began.

"I'm keeping the video, in case we need it," Drew assured her. "He won't get close to you again. And if he does-" He shrugged. "I'll take care of the rest."

"Thank you," she smiled, shyly, her head dropping and eyes turning down. "I appreciate you taking the initiative to have the guys come out here."

"Not a problem," he nodded. "But, Lily, I need to know what you want to do soon, okay?"

"Soon," Lily promised, with a sigh. 

Drew inclined his head toward the back of the house. "Why don't you go get some breakfast," he suggested. 

Unfolding herself from the couch, Lily nodded her agreement. She walked past Drew, giving him a pat on the arm as she went. Lily hesitated for a moment, at the threshold of the dining room into the kitchen, trying to think of how to begin her apology for the trouble that had interrupted everyone's evening. At the kitchen island, Sebastian twisted in his seat to smile warmly at her. Lisa leaned around the edge of the kitchen wall to see what he was looking at and let out a long sigh when she saw Lily. Lily stepped into the kitchen and was immediately enveloped by Lisa’s arms.

Lisa wrapped her arms around Lily, cooing her worries to her. "Oh, you poor thing. What a night."

"I'm sorry," Eddie smiled at Lily, as Lisa leaned back to tut over Lily and give her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. "She's Italian. She insists on molesting everyone."

"All the time," Sebastian seconded, with a tip of his mug in front of his lips. "It makes everything _really_ awkward."

"Oh, shut up," Lisa scowled at Sebastian, letting go of Lily. "Are ya hungry? Do you want some breakfast?"

"I was just about to fire up the burners," Eddie said.

"Let me get you some coffee," Lisa insisted, already pulling a mug down out of the cupboard.

"That'd be nice," Lily smiled, meekly, climbing onto a barstool at the kitchen island beside Sebastian. She took a breath and began her apology. "I'm so sorry about last night, guys," she said, her eyes turned down to her folded hands on the countertop. "I didn't mean to ruin-"

"Oh, honey, no," Lisa interrupted. "That wasn't your fault."

"Besides," Eddie smiled, "it added a bit of excitement to the night."

"Really, everyone," Lily insisted, but no one would have any of it. "I-"

"Enough of this pity party," Lisa declared. "There's been enough apologizing already. There's no need for it."

"We've seen guests get harassed at the restaurants before," Eddie frowned. "Believe me, we've got a lot of sympathy for what you guys go through."

"Drew apparently already apologized this morning, too," Sebastian mentioned, leaning over for Lily to hear, while Lisa went on.

"Honestly, I'd like to give that girl at the store a piece of my mind, for the trouble she caused," Lisa grumbled. "If anyone should apologize, it's _her_."

"Easy there, tiger," Eddie told his wife, shaking his head.

Putting his mug down, Sebastian reached an arm across Lily's shoulders, pulling her into his side. "Today's a new day, Benny," he told her, quietly. "It'll be better."

He let her go, going back to his drink and twisting the cup between the tips of his fingers. Lisa set down Lily's coffee in front of her, hurrying back with cream and sugar a moment later. Lily thanked her and flavored her coffee. From the side of her eye, she caught a pair of wary glances at her from Sebastian. The second time, she looked, flashing him a small grin before tasting her drink. He smiled back and turned his attention to Eddie and Lisa at the stove.

"What a shame those jackasses have to show up and ruin your trip," Lisa went on, taking a stack of plates off a cupboard shelf. "Thank goodness Drew was there."

"He is pretty handy," Sebastian agreed, with a soft nudge into Lily's elbow.

"And his people," she marveled. "They just swooped in." Lisa paused, spinning on her heel to look curiously at Lily. "Are they here? Drew's...people? Are they his employees or yours? What do you call them?"

"I call them 'the boys'," Lily quipped, a little proud of herself for actually finding something even the slightest bit humorous to her today.

Lisa pointed at Lily and smiled wide. "I like that," she giggled. "Are they all like Drew? Former military, I mean. They look so...squared away."

"She means 'handsome and ripped'," Eddie joked, earning a smack on the arm from his wife.

Lily nodded away from her sip of coffee. "I think just about everyone who works for him is," she shrugged. "Mostly military, some he served with, like his partner he started the company with. One guy, I think, is a retired cop, another former Israeli Army. You could say he has a type."

"Nice," Eddie nodded.

"Lil doesn't half-ass anything," Sebastian noted, and everyone enjoyed a small laugh.

"Are they-" Lisa started then stopped, wrinkling up her brow. "Do we, ya know, feed them, or do they-"

Lily put up a hand and smiled. "Don't feed them," she shook her head. "They scavenge just fine on their own. I guarantee those bastards had steak and eggs for breakfast, the way they bill me."

"Worth every penny," Sebastian decided, giving Lily a grin over the top of his mug.

"Well, with them here now, I guess you don't have to worry about the rest of your visit," Lisa supposed. She stopped counting out forks from the silverware drawer and turned to Lily, a worried expression on her face. "You are staying, aren't you?"

Lily straightened up in a seat a little, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat and feeling everyone's eyes on her. "I, uh-" She cleared her throat quietly. "We're still- I haven't decided yet."

"Oh, but you should stay," Lisa urged. 

"Yeah," Eddie agreed. "Don't let those bastards run you off." He waved a hand toward the long windows at the back of the house. "The weather's finally getting good."

"We can cook here and drink on the beach," Lisa offered. "We don't have to go anywhere."

Lily's eyes flitted over to Sebastian. He was looking ahead of him at his friends continuing to make their case about the things there were to do around the house and beach. He chewed on his lower lip for a moment, dropping his head to stare into his coffee. She knew what Sebastian's vote was. Lily was charmed and felt her heart warm at the concessions his friends were eagerly offering her to get her to stay.

"Besides, you don't have a Michelin starred chef and restauranteur in your kitchen at home," Lisa concluded, rubbing her hand on her blushing husband's back.

Sebastian looked back up at Lily, wrapping his hands tightly around his mug, waiting for her verdict. She ducked her head, with a small shake. He hated seeing her like this. All the progress and confidence he'd watched her build back up over the last few months was practically undone in a matter of minutes last night. When she lifted her eyes to meet his, he tried to model his expression to tell her whatever she chose to do was fine, a slight rise of his brow, soft eyes, and thin but encouraging smile.

"We'll see how it goes," Lily vaguely committed.


	27. Chapter 27

Lily's weak answer to whether or not she would stay didn't sit well with Sebastian. Eddie made breakfast for Lisa, Sebastian, and Lily. Drew was noticeably absent from the table and Sebastian wondered if it was because he was preparing for Lily's departure. He had heard Drew, speaking quietly on his phone, as he passed by Sebastian's door on the way downstairs early in the morning. He didn't hear anything of the conversation, but Sebastian knew the bodyguard had been up since at least 7 a.m. Sebastian was suspicious that, if Drew weren't up to something, he wouldn't be moving about the house so early ahead of everyone else. 

Sebastian had managed to steer the conversation to a lighter topic. Over waffles and fruit salad, all he had to do was ask Lisa how her sister was doing and she launched into an enthusiastic whirl of gossip and stories about the latest boyfriend. From there, the conversation bounced around and away from anything fame or paparazzi related. After the meal, Lily cleared her plate and excused herself. Sebastian frowned to himself, watching her go to the kitchen from the side of his eye and disappointed she didn't stick around for more coffee, as had become the little group's breakfast routine over the last few days. 

Lily rinsed off her dishes and went upstairs. She grabbed a change of clothes and showered, taking a couple of extra minutes to herself in the steamy water to try and wash off some of the stress lingering from the night before. Back in her room, closing her suitcase after finding the loose fitting cardigan to cover her camisole top, Lily sat down on the side of the bed and checked her phone.

There were a few texts waiting for her that she had missed while she was in Sebastian's room. One was from her assistant, telling Lily to check her emails for a short list of links about her being sighted in Montauk. Lily's publicist had messaged twice to warn her of several media requests, asking for details of Lily's trip and her company, that the office was deflecting. Lily sighed. She stepped into a pair of flats and went to find Drew. 

When he wasn't in his room, Lily peeked around corners to check the rooms downstairs. He wasn't in the house and she looked out the front window to see if he was with the car or whoever was supposed to be watching the house and street. Tiptoeing to the back of the house, and avoiding the others still in the dining room, she spied him in the corner of the deck out back, talking on his cellphone. She slipped out the kitchen door, shutting it, quietly, behind her.

Folding the ends of her sweater around her, Lily crossed her arms to keep herself covered in the gusty wind off the water. She smiled at Drew and signaled to him to finish his call before bothering with her. While she waited, Lily pressed the front of her hips against the deck railing, leaning into the wood to peer over the rail and see the sand and beech grass below. Hearing Drew wrapping up his call, she turned to see him when he moved to rest back against the rail beside her. 

"Did you eat?" he checked. 

Lily nodded, beginning a losing battle to keep her hair tucked behind her ears and smiling at Drew's subtle protectiveness. "Yeah."

"Have you made up your mind yet?" Drew gently pressed. 

"I have," she told him, taking in a deep breath and pushing her hair back again. "I think we need to go. The press is already making calls back home, pics are up..." Lily trailed off and sighed.

"Are you sure?" he asked, eyeing her over.

Lily twisted at the waist, looking back at the house and over at the laughing friends seated around the table in the dining room. "Look at them, D," she told him, with a small wave toward the others. "They're nice people. This is their getaway and, now, they've got bodyguards posted around their home. They didn't come out here to hole up and hide. They don't deserve to be bothered like this."

Drew nodded his understanding and, Lily hoped, his approval. "When do you want to leave?"

Turning back to the beach, Lily pulled her hair aside to hold it from the breeze, asking, "How soon _can_ we? I'm sure you've got a half-dozen answers ready."

Drew snorted, with a small tick of his head backward. "I've got a few. We can drive back to New York and go nonstop commercial out of LaGuardia in about 7 hours," he offered, checking his watch. "If that's too long, there's an empty leg leaving Montauk in 4 hours for Vegas. I already talked to the operator this morning and he can connect us through HND back to Los Angeles on one of their other jets. He just needs 90 minutes lead time to get things set up. If you'd like to leave privately, later than that, the next charter we could get would be first thing tomorrow."

Lily pressed her lips together for a long moment, considering her options. "We'll take the one in 4 hours," she decided.

"I'll make the call and let the guys know to pack up," Drew nodded. "Why don't you go back inside and get your things ready?"

"I'm actually pretty much ready to go," she told him. "I started packing after that night at the store."

"You already knew we were leaving, didn't you?" he figured.

"I guess so," Lily shrugged.

Drew nodded, putting a comforting hand on Lily's shoulder and pushing off the railing to stand up straight again. "I'll let you know what time we have to leave, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, forgetting her hair to the wind and pulling her sweater a little tighter. 

They went inside together. Lily kept her eyes forward, as they passed through the kitchen to go upstairs. She split off from Drew to collect a couple things from the bathroom. She pulled her suitcase up on the bed and began packing away the little amount of clothes she still had in the dresser. Lily combed out her hair, tying it up in a messy knot, before she put on a touch of makeup, just in case she was caught by photographers on the way to the airport. Putting away the few odds and ends of her toiletries, Lily pressed her weight over the flap of her suitcase to zipper it closed. With a sigh, she lugged the bag over to the door, starting a small pile of her things for the car. 

Lily passed some time quietly in her room, checking her emails and texting her assistant to say they would be heading home soon. While Jessica messaged that she would get the flight times from Drew and have a car ready to meet her at the airport in LA, Lily was online, Googling herself to see what had made print about her encounter at the restaurant. She groaned, her head falling to one side in defeat, as she scrolled through the repetitive postings of the photo Drew had mentioned of everyone going in for dinner, a smattering of 'from the parking lot' pics of Lily and the others laughing at their table through the window on the front door of the restaurant, and a few of Sebastian and his friends at the table without her. Even if she wasn't in the photo, everyone of them was tagged with some hashtag or blurb about Lily. 

Locking her phone, in disgust, Lily knew, beyond a doubt, the trip was ruined. She hadn't even been clearly photographed, but the buzz about her circulating online with even low quality photos, showing posting times of barely two hours ago, told her all she needed to know. More paparazzi were coming.

She pocketed her phone and went to Drew's room to see if he was back in the house. He answered her knock on his open doorway with a polite smile and Lily could see his closed suitcase on the bed behind him. Ami and Brandon had joined him and both smiled their greeting to her. 

"Are you all packed?" Drew asked her and Lily nodded. "The guys will put your things in the car for you. We'll have to leave for the airport in an hour. Is that alright?"

"Perfect," Lily agreed, flashing a quick, albeit awkward, smile. "I'm just gonna go take in a last breath of clean air for a minute."

Drew nodded, giving Ami a clap on the arm, as he moved toward the door. "Guys, go ahead and load up Ms. Benjamin's things. Somebody meet Jason at the hotel and get him back here."

"Sure," Brandon nodded, grabbing Drew's suitcase off the bed to take with him.

Drew followed Lily downstairs. She found Eddie and Lisa in the living room. Drew casually made his way through the room and toward the back of the house to wait for Lily. Lily stopped near Lisa's chair and smiled shyly.

"I think we're heading out today," she told her hosts. "Well, I am, I mean."

Lisa twisted in her seat to look up at Lily, aghast. "No," she gasped. "Oh, you can't."

"I'm sorry," Lily shook her head, "but things are only going to get more...complicated, for everyone, if I stay."

"Complicated?" Eddie questioned, with a deep frown in his brow. 

As if on cue, Brandon and Ami appeared from upstairs, with Drew and Lily's luggage in hand, and went out the front door. Lisa was on her feet, looking sadly from Lily to the window to watch the men loading the back of the SUV. She reached out, gently taking hold of Lily's forearm.

"Lily, please stay," she gently invited.

Putting her hand over Lisa's, Lily smiled, warmly. "I'm sorry, you guys," she told them. "More photographers are going to show up and it's just going to- It'll be chaotic. You guys should enjoy your vacation in peace." Lily waved nonchalantly through the air. "If I stay, it's just going to be a pain in everyone's ass. Besides, I have a lot of things waiting for me back in Los Angeles that I really need to get working on."

Eddie and Lisa's smiles were anything but enthusiastic. "Well, we're sorry you can't stay longer," Eddie told Lily.

"Me too," Lily assured them. "You have a beautiful home, and you both have just been too kind. Drew and I can't thank you enough for the hospitality."

"It was our pleasure," Eddie insisted. 

"Well, if you feel you have to go," Lisa reluctantly accepted, "you have to go, I guess. But you know you're welcome in New York anytime." She took and squeezed Lily's hand. "Anytime. I mean it. If you want to come back out here, or you're in town for something, let us know. We'd love to have you again."

"We'll take you around New York," Eddie seconded. "Show you all the good places to eat and get into trouble. Come by the restaurant in the Village and I'll cook for you."

"You had me at 'cook for you'," Lily assured him, getting a hug from Lisa. 

"What time are you leaving?" Eddie asked. 

"In about an hour," Lily sighed, with a smile. "Where'd Sebastian run off to?"

Lisa jerked her thumb behind her. "I think he's getting some more coffee."

Lily nodded and left the room with a polite smile. Peering around the end of the wall, she didn't see Sebastian in the kitchen. What she did see was Drew leaned back against the island, arms folded across his chest, and looking out the large windows of the back of the house. He jutted his chin, directing Lily's gaze out the door to answer the question she didn't ask yet. Sebastian was sitting on the deck at the top of the stairs down to the beach. 

"Did you tell him?" Lily hesitantly asked.

Drew shook his head. "No. He was already out there, when I came in."

Lily took in as deep a breath as her lungs would allow, holding it as she crossed the kitchen. Stepping out the door, she left it open behind her when she noticed Drew following her out. He gave her a small nod and grin, shutting the door and diverting himself to the far corner of the deck to have a look over the beach and side of the house. Lily walked, carefully, over to Sebastian. He looked up, over his shoulder, and flashed a weak smile at her when she came up behind him. 

"Hey, Benny," he said, nodding to himself, as she slipped past him to stand a few stairs down in front of him. 

"Hey," she threw back, pinning on a smile. "What'cha doin'?"

"Waiting for you to come say goodbye," he answered, ahead of a large swallow of coffee and ignoring her gaze for the ocean view. "You leaving now?"

"Soon," Lily admitted, tucking her fists deep into the pockets of her sweater. "In about an hour."

Sebastian nodded again, letting it sink in, as he turned his eyes to the inside of his empty coffee mug. "Well," he shrugged, "guess a week is better than no vacation at all, right?"

"They've already got pictures online," she explained, with a sigh, dropping her eyes to her feet and leaning back against the railing. 

"Everybody's got pictures online," he grumbled. "Can't even go to fuckin' Starbucks without it ending up online." Sebastian twisted to set his cup down behind him. "What's your point?"

"The point is," she frowned, "that Eddie and Lisa don't need this shit." Lily looked back toward the house, as she waved a helpless hand that way. "They're good people. They don't deserve to-"

"What do you deserve, Lil?" he asked, clamping a hand over his wrist to set his arms out over his knees bent high by the step below and squinting up at her in the bright morning sky behind her.

"To not feel judged for trying to do the right thing," she snapped.

Sebastian nodded, snorting in derision, as he shifted his gaze back to the beach. "The right thing," he muttered.

"This was supposed to be a nice, quiet getaway," she reminded him. "And because of me, people can't even go out to dinn-"

"Oh, it's all because of you," he scoffed, flexing his hold over his arm and jutting his chin toward the water. "It always is, isn't it?" Sebastian looked up at her, quickly, and flatly added, "Don't answer that. Rhetorical question."

Lily was beginning to feel insulted. This wasn't how she expected this to go. It wasn't how she wanted it to go. She didn't want there to be a fight or any hard feelings. She thought he, of all people, would understand. 

"I really am trying to do what's best for everyone," she insisted. "I've already ruined one night, there's paparazzi following us around, and Eddie and Lisa have strangers wondering in and out of their house now. What kind of a vacation is this, for anyone, if-"

"What vacation?" he spat, rising from his spot on the deck. "For fuck's sake, you can't stop yourself. Do you even know what a vacation is anymore? You come out here," Sebastian said, sweeping a hand out across the beach, "and all you do is work. You've got your assistant sending packages, you're emailing lawyers and management companies, sending in auditions-"

" _You_ told me to make the audition," she spitefully reminded him, jabbing a finger his way. 

"I did," he admitted. "Because I was excited about how excited you were again. And I regret it." Sebastian bobbed his head once, firmly. "I really do. I'm sorry for enabling this...work addition, or whatever the fuck you have, so you couldn't sit still and just enjoy some god damn peace and quiet for once." 

Lily blinked, lips parted slightly in the shock of his sudden hostility. She didn't know what to say. She really believed she was doing everyone a favor by leaving, knowing the paparazzi would follow her home and leave everyone else alone. She hadn't considered how much else of Los Angeles she had brought with her, until he spelled it out for her.

Sebastian wiped a hand down over his mouth. "Sorry you can't stay," he told her, his voice softened a tone by resignation. 

He turned around, plucking the coffee mug up off of the deck and moving up the stairs to go back inside. Lily stood there, speechless and looking after him. She blinked away the flustered heat she felt burning up behind her eyes and turned her back to the house with a huff. She fumed for a minute, furious that he had been so rude to her and that this was the way she was leaving. But Lily's pride kept her from following him, convinced he wasn't the least bit interested in hearing her out. 

"Why don't we take a walk," Drew kindly offered, from behind her. "Get some of that clean air you wanted."

Lily nodded, starting down the steps. When they reached the sand, she stopped, slipping off her flats to leave on the stairs. It was the first time Lily had her toes in the sand in longer than she could remember. She and Drew walked along the water, her bodyguard set just a half a stride behind her and his eyes scanning up and down the beach. He followed patiently, as Lily shuffled down the beach aimlessly, pausing once to stoop and examine a small, curling shell. Lily rolled it in her fingers as they continued walking.

When Drew told her they had to start back to the house, she checked her watch with a frown. She nodded her understanding and they headed back up the beach. Lily walked along the edge of where the wet and dry sand met, dancing up the beach a small step when the chilly waves would lap at her feet.

"You sure you want to go?" Drew asked, breaking the silence of almost a half hour. 

Lily's lips pursed and tightened, swallowing back the anxiety and sadness the question brought out. "Yeah," she nodded. "It's not a good place anymore."

When the sting started to prick the corners of her eyes and she felt the tremble in her lip, she folded under the open arm Drew offered her. He wrapped his strong arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze, as her fingers twisted the loose material at the back of his shirt to hold on to. Lily sniffled, scratching her nose with the back of her free hand as Drew told her not to worry, that everything would be fine, and he'd get her home soon.

At the bottom of the steps up to the house, Drew let Lily go after the quick hug she gave him. He waited with her while she dusted the sand from her feet before putting her shoes back on. Lily cleared her throat and shook her head. Thumbing away the dampness under her eyes, she sat up straight and tucked away some stray hairs the wind had pulled loose. 

"Okay?" she checked with Drew, trying out a smile.

"As always," he nodded. Drew gestured up the staircase to the house. "We've got a couple minutes for goodbyes, if you need them."

Lily nodded, accepting Drew's offered hand to help her to her feet. She dusted the sand from her fingers and dropped her little shell to the sand. She took in another cleansing breath and gave the waves one last look. Lily nodded to herself and started up the stairs, with Drew in tow.

Sebastian unfolded his arms, stepping away from the kitchen door to join Eddie and Lisa in the other room, so Lily didn't notice he'd been watching her.


	28. Chapter 28

"Ugh," Lisa sighed, giving Lily a tight hug. "We're so sorry to see you go like this."

"Oh, no," Lily assured her. "I had a wonderful trip. Really, I did. Thank you guys so much."

Eddie gave her a quick hug. "It was great having you out here," he told her. "Come back, when you can stay longer."

"Like for the 4th," Lisa lit up. She handed Lily a slip of paper. "Here's our numbers. Give us a ring anytime you-" She pulled her hand back. "Is that- It's too forward, isn't it? It's weird. We just met last week."

Lily accepted the note, with a gracious smile. "No," she shook her head, with a giggle. "It's alright. Thank you...again."

"Anytime," Eddie smiled, giving a small wave, as Lily turned to meet Drew at the door to leave.

Leaving the living room, Lily noticed Sebastian sitting on the stairs in the foyer, his arms hanging over his bent up knees. He stood up when she stopped, coming down the few steps to meet her in front of the door. Drew dismissed himself, without a word.

"You all set?" Sebastian checked, pocketing his hands in his jeans so his thumbs hooked into his belt loops.

"All set," Lily nodded. Her weight shifted and her shoulders dropped a bit, as she said, "Bas, about this whole-"

"Let's not make this weird," he interrupted, ducking and shaking his head, with a soft snort. "Just forget I ever said anything." Sebastian opened his arms, his head lolling to the side with an easy smile. "C'mere."

Lily felt an overwhelming sense of relief, stepping into the hug. She hooked her arms around his neck and he gave her a small squeeze before letting Lily go. Sebastian did his best to hide his disappointment with the situation. He was careful not to hold her any longer than his friends had done to say their goodbyes.

"Have a safe trip, Lily," he told her, being mindful to keep a smile on his face. "Give me a call, next time you get out this way." His brow rose, remembering, "And let me know how the movie goes."

"I will," Lily promised, surprised at how well the goodbye seemed to be going. She still felt like she should say something or apologize again, but Sebastian's relaxed posture and grin made her think twice about adding to the already awkward moment. "Okay," she tittered. "Well, I need to go, but take care of yourself. And same goes for you. Let me know whenever you're in LA."

"Deal," Sebastian nodded, tucking his hands back in his pockets, figuring it was the best way to resist the urge to hold on to Lily. He scuffed a heel, turning on the other to watch her walk out the door. "Take care of yourself, Lil."

Lily turned over her shoulder to smile and wave goodbye. Drew and the rest of his team were waiting near the cars. Sebastian watched from the door, as Drew opened the rear door of a red SUV for Lily. Jason took the passenger seat up front with Drew and the others got into a grey sedan. He kept an eye on them, until the cars were down the driveway and disappeared down what he could see of the street.

The trip to the airport was quiet and uneventful. From the back of the SUV, Lily distractedly eavesdropped on Drew's conversation with Jason about an upcoming event the company had been contracted to work for one of their other high end clients. While Drew skimmed over the details of the job and how many guys to assign to it, Lily watched the houses and businesses go by. They didn't wait long at the airport. Lily barely had time to finish the cappuccino she'd ordered in the lounge before they were directed to their plane. When they took off, Lily felt a little more at ease, knowing that she had made a clean getaway from the paparazzi in Montauk.

Curled up in one of the wide leather seats of the private jet, somewhere over the Midwest, Lily nodded off listening to her iPod. She woke again when Drew gently nudged her shoulder to have her put her seatbelt back on. Fifteen minutes later, they touched down in Las Vegas. Her fame was doing her some favors, as the plane taxied to the front of a hangar, dropping her off at her next ride home. Landing at the smaller airport in Los Angeles, instead of LAX, Lily avoided being noticed by anyone.

Her assistant, Jessica, met her on the tarmac. A pair of SUVs, courtesy of Drew's company, were standing by. The body guards loaded luggage into the cars. One of the drivers would take the men back to the office, so they could get go home for the day. Drew took the front passenger seat of Lily's car, while she rode in the back, listening to Jessica catch her up on things she'd missed back home since she'd left for the show in New York. It was a pleasant distraction for Lily to hear what her friends had been up to and things happening around town. It hadn't really occurred to her how long she had been gone, until then.

At home, in the calming privacy of Lily's Beverly Glen mansion, Lily could finally relax. Jessica helped unpack, while going over some business items that still needed Lily's attention. Lily gave her some direction on meetings to make and things that would need rescheduling. Before she left for the evening, Jessica made a quick dinner for Lily. There was a wrought iron table and chairs on the patio near her pool. Lily ate outside, enjoying the sunset into the hillside, and glanced over some of the finer points of a few offers for her new management. The long travel day and the tediousness of the proposals sent Lily to bed early. Settling into her pillow, Lily stared at the ceiling, realizing she missed the muted sounds of the ocean outside her window at night.

Lily eased back into LA throughout the rest of the week. She was spotted by a photographer who caught a shot of her leaving the gym. She declined a photo, but signed a pair of autographs for some fans who recognized her under her sunglasses and ball cap at a casual beachside café with Jessica one day. Lily couldn't help her smirk as she signed, thinking to herself that Sebastian would be a little proud of her for the signing. By Friday, Lily had decided on which management contract offer to accept and Jessica had confirmed a Monday morning meeting to close the deal.

While business rolled along, Lily had some social obligations to fill. In one week, she presented an award at a low key charity event, hosted the opening night party at a new club a friend had invested in, and held a brunch at her home for her best friend and a group of friends to properly welcome her goddaughter and spoil her friend, Angela, in the process. The next week, she was back into a regular gym routine, enjoyed a spa day, and was spotted having cocktails at a magazine party with Angela and some high fashion designers. Lily's name topped the front pages of a few industry papers for her new management announcement. She appeared on the covers of several tabloid magazines in candid photos taken by paparazzi, as she was noticed again around town. Mercifully, Lily's activities in LA seemed to make everyone forget that fleeting moment they had caught her in Montauk. When Sony made the announcement that Lily had been signed on to her latest project, she occupied the headlines online and it was the new topic that photographers tried to get her talk about, when they found her out and about.

The middle of May arrived and she had a tentative outline for the project. Lily made herself available for screen tests for a few days at the end of the month. She heard a few names that were being tossed around to join the cast, over lunch with her new director. They had a long talk about what he and the screenwriters had done to make a few adaptations to the script for the screen and Lily was even more enamored by the project with the changes. Over a couple of bottles of wine, she caught up on gossip and life in general with her girlfriends. Life in Los Angeles was back on track and steaming ahead.

By the time a fan had met her on the street, catching her on her way out of a Starbucks, and gushed that a friend had seen her in 'Streetcar', Lily had been too busy to think of New York. She smiled for a selfie with the girl before she headed home. On the way, Lily recalled several fond memories about the stage show. Sitting alone in her living room that night, she took out her phone and scrolled through Instagram, something she hadn't done much of lately. Lily did a quick search, looking to see if Eddie had a page for his restaurants or he and his wife had their own. Lily found a page for each establishment and followed the tags to Eddie and Lisa's pages. She followed them both and smiled to herself, thinking of how much attention it would draw to the account when she clicked the heart on the latest picture from Eddie's Village restaurant and followed the page. While she was online, Lily skipped over to Sebastian's account.

He hadn't posted much recently. In fact, the most activity he seemed to have for the year so far was from their stint on stage together. She snickered to herself, scrolling through the pictures of the cast he had put up and shook her head at the video he had snuck of Lily and the girls singing during the costume fitting. Lily frowned for a moment, missing her cast mates and new friends from the show. She spent another hour creeping through the other actors' accounts, seeing what they had been up to without her. With a backward sense of homesickness for her time in New York, Lily went to bed feeling a little lonely.

There was something cheesy and simultaneously classic about the kisses cheeks get in Hollywood. For a long while, Lily had tolerated it as a form of traditional ass kissing from greedy executives, but this morning, coming into the casting offices on the Sony lot wasn't as annoying as it used to be. It actually seemed genuinely welcoming. The smiles from the staff and crew were bright and, when she walked into the room where the screen tests were being taped, the enthusiasm from the producer and casting director was invigorating. It may have just been their excitement at having her signed on. After all, it had been awhile since she worked with the studio. Nevertheless, the puckers to the air beside her face in the handholding, half-hugs that came from her director and producer were endearing today.

"Good morning, Ms. Benjamin. I'm Ian Scott," the round faced man smiled, giving Lily's hand an energetic shake. He motioned to introduce his cohort, "Andrea Williams, Casting Director." Lily accepted Andrea's hand as Ian went on. "We've got a lot squeezed into the schedule for the next couple of day, so bear with us."

Lily smiled, graciously. "It'll be worth it in the end. I'm very excited to be a part of this."

"Excellent," he nodded. "Let's get started then. Our first read is in twenty minutes, so take a few and get settled in."

Jessica took Lily's purse and phone, setting herself up on a small sofa along the edge of the room. Lily followed Ian and Andrea a little further into the room, walking around to the front of the camera and table set up for the morning's work. She casually rested her hands on top of one another on the back of a director's chair, listening to the notes for how many auditions were slated for the day and with who. Lily recognized a couple of names and was intrigued by some of the choices. The other names were alleged up and comers and one or two that had potential to be breakouts with a project like this. Her director, Jason, pointed out a name on the list he was hopeful about.

They talked through a few pieces of the script. Lily noticed some small adjustments in the dialogue. The scenes for the day represented three different times in the film. The weight of the story was set on the evolution of the main characters relationship over almost 15 years. To find a good match for Lily, they wanted to have each actor run through all three pieces with her. They were right, it was going to be a lot to get in. She made herself a drink from the coffee station in the corner of the room and settled into the couch beside Jessica, making mental notes for her scenes. By 9 o'clock, the first potential Pete was lined up in front of the camera with Lily.

Lily was a pro. Her instincts were good and she wasn't intimidated by production executives. She shared her thoughts freely and took feedback. It was mildly amusing to her to note the nervousness in a couple of her less experienced acting partners for the morning, when suggestions were made and scenes were asked to be tried again. Lily was proud of herself for not rolling her eyes at a couple of overeager handshakes during introductions. She'd been in Hollywood for so long that she almost forgot how she herself used to be star struck on screen tests.

Lunch was catered for Lily and the crew. Lily had a couple favorable impressions to give, but wasn't necessarily surprised with some of the negative notes she heard back. She remained optimistic to find a good costar. It was only halfway through the first day. There were plenty of good actors in Hollywood. If their 'Pete' wasn't in this batch, they'd throw out the net again. The afternoon rolled on and by the end of the day, seven screen tests were checked off the list.

The following morning, Lily was back on the studio lot by 8 a.m. The crew had found their rhythm and the production team had decided on a direction they wanted the auditions to go. Over coffees, before the first test at 8:30, Lily listened to the discussion about the previous day's work. She received a lot of positive notes on herself. Actually, there wasn't much of Lily's delivery they wanted to change. The current adjustments to the script flowed well and she was off paper by the middle of the afternoon of the first session. She was pleased with how things were going. She was also pleased with herself for not dribbling coffee down the front of her shirt when she heard Sebastian's name on the list for the second half of the day.

"Honestly, we've got a few doubts about his image as an action movie star lately," Andrea noted, "but there was something that kind of stood out in the original audition that you sent us, so we thought we'd give it a try and see how it plays."

Lily hummed and nodded, a diversion from the anxious flutter that had swirled up in her belly. "Yeah, sure. I could see that."

"Something to consider," Jason agreed, before moving down the list of names again.

Lily was immediately confused about why Sebastian didn't call to let her know about the test. Even as long distance friends, she would hear from him about auditions that would bring him to the area. She began to worry that something was amiss, that he was mad at her or a number of other reasons why he didn't call this time. But it was time for the first screen test of the day and Lily shook Sebastian out of her head.

She was waiting for it. Lily didn't know when exactly Sebastian was scheduled for his audition, but he hadn't made his appearance before the lunch break. Curiosity was almost getting the best of her, but she didn't want to seem too biased or eager by asking the production assistant to tell her his time. She forced herself to wait. The result was a fresh wave of mild nausea after each test ended, a little anxiety each time the door opened before the next actor should be arriving.

The nervousness would come and she'd have to swallow it down to be ready for the next read through. It was becoming a bit exhausting, as the afternoon wore on. Lily was beginning to wonder if something changed, if he had cancelled or wasn't going to show. When she overheard the PA and the casting director mention his name with one other actor still on the list, it only flared the feeling in her gut. At least it sounded like he was going to be there. There was a quiet lull in the room, as Lily and her potential costar transitioned to the next part of the script. Lily noticed the PA check his phone and barely heard him tell the producer that Sebastian had arrived.

All of a sudden, Lily found herself apologizing to the cameraman when she stepped away for a drink of water, smiling shyly about how the lights were getting a little warm. It was warm in there, but not because of the relatively small lighting rigs in the room. Lily took a few sips of water and tugged up the sleeves of her sweater, before resetting herself in front of the camera. She nodded that she was ready to go on, fanning herself with her script to cool the hint of perspiration on her brow.

This was it. Two more scenes, a short gap in between tests, and Sebastian would be called into the room. Lily was only half paying attention, when her directors in the room were going over the shorter schedule for the last day of screen tests tomorrow. She was too preoccupied by sweating palms and a flutter in her stomach, her eyes flicked up to the clock on the wall behind Ian's head. From over her shoulder, she almost missed the sound of the door opening and the PA politely said, "Just in through here, Mr. Stan."


	29. Chapter 29

**Hello everyone!**

**Just a quick note from your author...**

**I'm leaving for vacation and will not have Internet access while I'm gone. Unfortunately, that means no new chapters until I return.**

**I will be back on my regular weekly posting schedule beginning Monday August 22. Please be patient and maybe enjoy rereading from the start to kill time:)**

**Trust me, I'm going to miss this as much as you are. If you follow my main blog ( @whostheblondegirl ) or my writing blog ( @whostheblondegirlwriting ) over on tumblr, there are some scheduled posts to keep the blogs running. Check out the writing master list there for an extra way to kill time.**

**I'll miss you all (and my muses). I'll answer comments here and tumblr messages/asks as soon as I get home, so feel free to keep sharing your thoughts and such with me.**


	30. Chapter 30

"Ah," Ian smiled, rising from him chair behind the table to walk around and greet Sebastian. "Here he is. Sebastian, welcome." The two men shook hands, Sebastian smiled pleasantly, and Ian introduced the rest of the executive crew in the room. He held his arm out toward Lily and noted, "And, of course, you already know Lily."

Sebastian sent her an easy smile, taking his hand in hers and leaning in to pucker a kiss near her cheek. "Hey, Lil."

"Hello, dear," Lily smiled back.

The flutter in her gut turned into a twist, when he took her hand. She felt a soft heat rise up her cheeks at his face near hers. He looked good; a subtle tan to his skin and as fresh faced as ever. A faint grin stayed on Lily's face, watching quietly as Sebastian said hello to her assistant and asked how she's been since New York. He always had such a wonderful way of making everyone feel welcome. Sebastian took off his jacket and draped it over the arm of the couch, before coming back to stand with the group again. A fast smile flinched into his lips when he gave Lily a second look, adjusting the watchband on his wrist while he nodded along to the notes from the casting director.

"So," Ian said, with a small clap of his hands together, "if you want to take a few minutes to look over the scenes and bounce anything off of us or Lily, we'll get started whenever your ready."

"Sounds good," Sebastian nodded, flashing a smile at the PA who handed him the pieces of script. Jessica brought Lily a hot cup of tea, while Sebastian skimmed over the pages and asked, "So, how's it going, so far?"

Lily shrugged. "Not bad. A couple of definite misses and a couple interesting prospects." She tasted her tea. "There's this new guy, indie stuff, nothing on the radar really, but he was good."

"What's his name?" Sebastian distractedly wondered, turning over a page.

"Joel Kinney," she told him, fussing unnecessarily with the tab of the lid on her drink. "I guess his biggest thing was last year. 'A Little Wild'. Did you see it?"

He shook his head. "That was that one at Sundance last year, right?"

"I think so," she shrugged again and paused, picking at the lid of her drink and stealing looks at him through her lashes. "So, how come you didn't say you were coming out for this?"

"Hm?" Sebastian looked up, a little lost to his reading. "Oh, yeah." He shrugged, turning his eyes back down to the page. "Guess I just forgot. I got the call while I was at the gym and my assistant did the scheduling..."

Lily nodded, taking a slow look across the room. "Well, glad you made it out."

"Thanks," he smiled, watching her as she moved away to perch in one of the director's chairs in front of the camera. 

Sebastian stood, reading thoughtfully for a few more minutes. The crew shuffled around and the production execs took their seats behind the table again, trading notes they'd scratched on legal pads throughout the last couple of days. Jessica came over to Lily, trading her Lily's phone for her tea for a minute. Feeling comfortable after a few quick reads of the script, Sebastian told her he was ready. He took the empty seat next to Lily, flipping back to the first page.

"You wanna just read through it once?" she asked, making the same offer she gave everyone else.

"Sure,"  he shrugged, gesturing to the papers in his hand. "From the first page?"

Lily nodded and took her tea back from Jessica before she slipped back out of frame. Lily took up her own script from the pocket hanging off the side of her chair, slouching a bit to sit comfortably and beginning, "Okay, so figure these two are probably about 22, 23. Haven't seen each other since high school, when he runs into her at this bar."

Sebastian nodded, standing up from his seat and moved around to stand at Lily's shoulder. He took a breath, pausing a beat, before saying, "Emma."

Lily looked over her shoulder, a bit confused. "I'm sorry?"

He smiled down at her. "Emma Laramie," he insisted, with a smile. "From Sacred Heart, right?"

"Yyeah," she answered warily.

Sebastian offered her his hand. "It's Pete," he told her, enthusiastically. "Pete Carver?"

Lily blinked and her eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh, my god, Pete," she gushed, reaching her hand across her to meet his. "Hi!"

"I know it's dark in here, but geez," he quipped. "You forgot me already? That stings. That hurts a little."

"No, I'm sorry," she said, ducking her head. "It's just- You know how you don't expect to see people..."

"Can I sit down?" Sebastian asked, pointing past her to the open chair standing in for a stool at the bar.

"Yeah, sure," Lily nodded, waving him around. "Sit, please. Wow. How have you been? I haven't seen you-"

"Since we broke up in high school," he finished for her, with a nod and wicked smile, settling into the seat and pantomiming for an imaginary bartender's attention. "'99. Been a few years."

"It has," she agreed. Lily smiled, enjoying the lightness she felt in her chest at playing the charming scene with Sebastian.

"But you still look great," Sebastian noted, with a wide smile and a quick look up and down her.

"Thanks," Lily blushed, with a shied smile and Sebastian glanced at the script, while Lilian delivered her lines. "You too." There was an awkward pause, before Lily added. "So, where have you been?"

"Ahh," he groaned, with a loll of his head to the side. "Still in New York. I stuck around after college, try and give it a shot, ya know?"

"How's the big city treating you?" she wondered.

He snorted, shaking his head. "Not too kind. She's kind of a bitch, actually," he admitted, before checking his lines again.

Lily laughed and then immediately fell into an apology, putting a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't laugh."

"No, go on," he insisted. "If I couldn't laugh about it, I'd cry."

"Oh, no," Lily cooed. "So, what? You moved back or something?"

Sebastian shook his head. "No," he grimaced. "Nothing like that. No, my brother's getting married." He pointed over his shoulder and Lily's gaze followed toward the imaginary people. "I just came up for the week for the wedding. After that, back to being another broke writer."

Lily threw another look into the room. "That's Matt? God, haven't seen him in ages either. I can't believe he kept a girl long enough to marry her."

"I know, right?" he laughed, stealing a fast look at his page. "Nah, but she's a real sweetheart. You'd like her."

Lily was about to deliver her next line, when Jason piped up. "Hey, guys? How about you reset and do this one for film? Let's not lose this and see where it goes once, all the way to the end of page 2. Good?" Lily and Sebastian both nodded. "Excellent," Jason agreed. "And Sebastian, keep the movement in there. It looked good." He waved a hand. "Can we get a slate in here?"

As Sebastian stood back up and maneuvered to Lily's side again, there was a sharp snap on the slate in front of the camera. "'Words Fail' screen test, Lily Benjamin and Sebastian Stan, take 1," was announced.

"Sound?" Jason checked.

"Rolling."

Jason got a nod and thumbs up from the cameraman when he asked if they were filming. He gave Sebastian the go ahead and the small bar scene started over again. The production team was pleased with the first scene. They gave a few notes while Lily and Sebastian moved through the others a few times each, but, for the most part, let the test go without much direction. When they finished and the crew began breaking down for the day, Sebastian made the rounds of handshakes, the same way he had come in. There were some compliments and promises to 'be in touch soon'.

While Lily gathered her things from Jessica, Sebastian slid over to say goodbye. He put a light hand on the small of her back, leaning in for a vague semblance of a hug with another peck near her cheek, telling her he'd talk to her later. Just as quickly, he was straightened up and heading for the door, giving a final wave to the execs and crew. Lily had barely finished turning around to see him, but he was already in a conversation with the PA on his way out.

Lily was surprised to hear Sebastian's voice, when she stepped out the front door of the building. She looked, spotting him at the corner of the building on his phone. Lily excused herself from Jessica, telling her she'd be just a minute. She went over and sat down on the low concrete wall of the landscaping beside him. Sebastian turned, when he heard the scuff of her shoe stop next to him.

"Yeah, next Thursday's good," he said, giving her a nod to acknowledge her arrival. "I'll see you then...Uh-huh. Bye." Sebastian ended the call and gave Lily a once over. "Hey."

"Hey," she smiled. "Thought you left."

"Waiting on my ride," Sebastain explained, pocketing his phone, after a quick look at the time. "You headed home?"

"Mm," Lily shook her head. "Dinner, actually, with the director." She thought for a moment, before adding, "Do you want to join us?"

He shook his head, straightening up a bit and taking the last pull off a cigarette before dragging it down the side of the wall to snuff it out. "No," he said, twisting his lips to blow smoke away from her. "Thanks, though."

A fond smile curled the side of Lily's mouth, watching him examine the butt of his cigarette. "I thought you gave that up," she noted, nodding to the stub he rolled between his thumb and forefinger. 

Sebastian snorted, quietly. "Haven't for a while," he shrugged. "I had so much scheduled in a row, I haven't had to do an audition in over a year. Saw a guy go by and- I dunno. I asked if I could bum one."

"Superstitions are hard to break, huh?" Lily winked.

"Guess so," he admitted, with a crooked smile. Sebastian tipped his head to get her to turn back toward the entrance of the building. "Looks like your ride is here."

Lily hummed, nodding at seeing the black Town Car pull across the back of the parking spaces at the front of the building. "That's me," she confirmed, watching Jessica dip into the back seat of the car.

"Well, it was good to see you again, Lil," Sebastian told her, tucking the cigarette butt in the pocket of his jeans, as he stood up.

"That's it?" she laughed. "That was enthusiastic." Lily stood up, waving a hand out at him. "Come on. I haven't seen you in over a month, we just did our first screen test together- Which was great, by the way. And all I get is a 'your ride's here'? Come out to dinner with us."

Sebastian ducked his head, with a small shake and smile. "I'm meeting some friends in an hour. Sorry, Lil." He opened his palm to her in conciliation. "But gimme a call, if you get time. Maybe we can do lunch or something before I go home."

"When's that?" she asked.

"Sunday," he said, pocketing his hands. "I've got a couple things to do out here."

"Before Sunday," she agreed, with a smile and raising on her toes to peck a kiss to his cheek. "Stay out of trouble."

"See ya," Sebastian nodded, with a thin grin on his face, as she turned to meet her ride.

Lilian half expected to hear from Sebastian the next day. When she hadn't gotten a text or call from him by lunch, she tried not to let it bother her. After all, she was working, even if it was in the vaguest sense. Sebastian knew she was tied up with the final day of screen tests. But at the end of the day, she couldn't help her disappointment. She messaged him from the car on her way home.

Lily: Pssst

The evening drive in LA rush hour meant the trip took almost twice as long as it should have. When there was no reply by the time the gate was opening to her driveway, Lily frowned at her phone. She stuffed the useless device in her purse, heading inside after a pleasant 'thank you' to one of her usual drivers. Alone inside, she phoned in an order for takeout. Sitting at the kitchen island, halfheartedly eating some chicken curry, Lily jumped at the chime from her phone on the counter.

Angela V.: Husband's out of town, baby's with the in-laws, and I NEEEED to go out!! 

Lily snorted at the message, able to smile instead of being disappointed it wasn't Sebastian returning her message. She considered it for a moment, tapping backward into her messages to see if there was a reply from Sebastian yet. Angela would get a kick out of seeing Sebastian. Her best friend in LA was as charmed as everyone else by her New York best friend, when she introduced them to each other in 2014. According to the fine print, he hadn't even seen the text. Sebastian or no, Lily knew Angela deserved a night of living it up, after getting through the rough end of her pregnancy a few months ago, and Lily would provide.

Angela V.: Halp me, you crazy b. You're my only hope

Lily shook her head, smirking as she replied.

Lily: Well come on, hussy! Get pretty and let's go!! xoxo

Angela V.: YAY!!!!

Snapping the lid closed on her delivered dinner, Lily dictated a text to her assistant, as she went up to her bedroom. Lily was checking to see if she had any open invitations somewhere for a Friday night. There was always someone somewhere sending her invites for one thing or another. While she rummaged through her oversized dressing room for something fun to wear, Jessica was no doubt scrolling through Lily's miscellaneous email account for some suggestions on where to go. 

Jessica replied with a few options. There was a nightclub in Hollywood that had only been open a few weeks and was looking to build a reputation for high end clientele and an always open invite from the owner of a swanky cocktail lounge, who'd just tweaked their menu. There was a casual reminder from a promoter Lily had met a few times in the last couple of years at different events for a few places that Lily had frequented in the last year that missed her starpower drawing in business. She appreciated the way he didn't go at celebrities like a used car salesman to get them to show up places. She hadn't been to either place for some time and decided it was time to make a round. She told Jessica to let him know they were coming. If she was going to go out, she might as well make it worth everyone's while.

Lily slipped on a shimmering, dark grey cocktail dress. She pulled her hair back into a sleek ponytail and put in a dramatic pair of chandelier earrings. Lily had mastered her own evening makeup a long time ago. She used hair and makeup artists to avoid stress for events, but, for a night out on the town, she could handle things herself. With a wrist stacked full of silver and stone studded bracelets and a 6 caret, square cut sapphire and diamond ring on her hand, Lily gave herself a nod of approval in the mirror. She hurried back down stairs, barefoot and carrying a small silver clutch and a pair of black satin Blahnik's with a jeweled t-strap. Lily checked her phone again to see a message from Jessica saying a car and security escort would be arriving by 8:30 for Lily. She had plenty of time to tuck away a few essentials into her clutch and let her friend in on the plan.

With a couple minutes to spare before 8:30, Lily buzzed the car and driver into the gate. She stepped into her heels and finished adjusting the straps at her ankles just as the door bell rang. Lily called to tell Angela she was on her way, smiling when she opened the door to see Drew waiting for her on the other side. He smiled back and gave her a nod for a greeting, as Angela told her she had invited a couple other girls to meet them.

Off the phone and arriving at the waiting car, Lily gave Drew a mischievous smile, when he opened the back door of the heavily tinted Land Rover. "Ready to get in trouble?"

"If I must," he playfully sighed.

Lily got in the SUV, telling him, "It's been awhile. Might be rusty..."

Drew took his seat up front with the driver. "I'm sure it'll come back to you," he chuckled. "Where to?"

"Angela Vayner's place," Lily told him. As Drew quietly pointed the driver toward West Hollywood, Lily added, "And then to Bootsy Bellows."

"Just there?" Drew checked, glancing over his shoulder.

"There first," Lily smiled.


	31. Chapter 31

It wasn't a hangover, per se. Lily had woken up with a lot worse after a lot less sleep before. But it took a little extra effort to push herself out of bed in the morning. When Lily Benjamin takes someone out for the night, they have a good time. The receipts for fancy cocktails and bottle service were proof.

Lily smirked at the pictures of herself online, arm in arm with her girlfriends, strutting in and out of the bars last night. She gave herself props. She did look good last night. Over a plate of eggs she scrambled for herself, Lilian saved a flattering paparazzi pic and forwarded it on in a group message to the ladies who had joined her last night. In her messages, she frowned at Sebastian's name and opened the conversation.

Lily: Psssst [delivered]

Lily: With Angie V at Bootsy Bellows. Good old days are calling! Drinks on me [delivered]

Lily: Angie has personally taken offense. Come to the Emerson Theater to make amends [delivered]

She was a little surprised, maybe even a bit insulted, the messages allegedly hadn't been seen or were ignored. With a disappointed huff, she pushed her phone away from her plate of breakfast. Chewing on a corner of jellied toast, at least Lily could say she didn't drunk dial anyone or send inappropriate texts last night.

What the hell was Sebastian's problem anyway? He didn't call to say he'd be in town, let alone that he was invited to audition for her movie. He wasn't reading her texts and he certainly wasn't replying. He seemed kind of indifferent to speaking to her the other day at the studio. He was being a little more than dickish, in her opinion.

Lilian tidied up the kitchen, filling up another cup of coffee to take with her to her room. She chased a couple aspirin with her hot beverage and threw on some clothes for the gym. She sent back a pair of kissy faced emojis when Angela sent her a piteous pic, of her adorably disheveled self still in bed and hiding under the sheets at 10 in the morning, thanking her for a "top night- as always". 

After the gym, Lily showered and changed. She grabbed Angela for an impromptu trip to the spa. Simmering in eucalyptus steam, Lily considered that maybe Sebastian was just too busy for her. He had mentioned having things to do and, now, she was by far no longer his only friend in Los Angeles. She tried not to take it personally. Under a hot stone massage, Lily came to the realization that she maybe had brought the new chill in Sebastian's behavior on herself. Since coming back to LA, she hadn't exactly made good on her promise to stay in touch.

Almost right away, Lily had convinced herself the blame laid on him for upsetting the understanding of their friendship. He had changed the rules. The playful banter and affectionate touches meant something different now. When she started trying to pin down when exactly Sebastian's feelings for her might have changed, Lily grew suspicious. She couldn't look back on some of her recent memories of New York without questioning the motive, when something as seemingly innocent as his hand brushing past hers as they walked happened. And now, Lily hated herself for it. Her knee jerk defense mechanisms may have cost her her best friend.

Over an early dinner after the spa, at Ford's in the Ritz Carlton, Lily swallowed her wine and her pride. Over entrées, Lily spilled everything to Angela about Sebastian. The personal talks, hanging out after rehearsals, the beach house in Montauk, the insecurities, and everything in between. She confessed her guilt about the way she'd responded to his declaring his love for her, her shame for the way she thought things were left, and her confusion at how they actually seemed to be.

Angela let Lily go on at length, stopping her only to ask small questions when Lily paused to eat or drink. By dessert, she was ready to respond to Lily's pleading eyed, "I don't know what happened."

"You know what happened, you psycho," Angela assured her.

Lily sighed. "I know."

"You got scared, because you've been let down before," she told her. "You panicked, but I don't blame you."

"You don't?" Lily doubted.

Angela shook her head. "Are you kidding? Anybody'd be gun shy after the shit you've been through." Lily ducked her head, poking at the shortcake in front of her, listening. "You've had people string you along, cheat on you, _literally_ sell you out. Honey, it's a wonder you even leave the house anymore."

"He's never done any of those things," Lily said.

"Of course not," Angela agreed, taking a sip of wine. "Because he's actually your friend. He's actually good people."

"And now he hates me," Lily decided.

"He doesn't hate you," she insisted. "I don't think he could hate anybody, let alone _you_. But it certainly sounds like he's having a hard time being just your friend."

"How did I even get into this mess?" Lily groaned.

Angela smiled, nudging her foot into Lily's shin under the table. "Because you're just so god damn lovable."

Lily laughed, shaking her head. "What do I do?" she worried. "Do I say something? What do I even say?"

"Okay," Angela began, setting her fork down on her plate and leaning onto her folded arms on the table's edge, "answer honestly- Do you love him?" She put up a hand to make Lily wait. " _Honestly_ , _truly_ love him back? Not just in the way you love your friend for all these years."

The only noise at the table came from the restaurant around them. Other people's conversations mixing with music and dishes filled the space, while Lily's mind worked. She stared down at nothing, losing any sense of the fork in her hand or food  on her plate. She was quiet, waiting for an epiphany in the din of the strangers around her. Angela sat patiently, watching for the answer for herself. Lily blinked, giving a small shake of her head.

"Yeah, I think I do," she realized, though the realization only made her feel worse. 

"Well, there you go" Angela said, settling back into her seat and holding her hands open to Lily. "You two need to talk. You should tell him."

Lily perked up, the exaggerated enthusiasm on her face coming through in her sarcastic tone. "Hey, Seb, remember when you poured your heart out to me and I just kicked you in the balls and went back to LA? Yeah, guess what? I changed my mind!"

Angela snickered, shaking her head at her friend and biting off another piece of cobbler. "You might wanna put a little more thought into it than that," she recommended. "Maybe try something a little more sentimental."

"I know," Lily smiled. "But I just don't know, you know?" She pushed the last few bites of her dessert away. "What if he says 'no? Oh, god. What if he says 'yes' and then we break up and we're not even friends anymore? How could this possibly even work, anyway, Ang? We're in two different places."

"Stranger things have happened," she shrugged. "Stranger and worse things than a sweetheart like Sebastian Stan being in love with you. Who knows? Maybe you two do a little bi-coastal living, summer in New York and winter in LA."

"You're assuming he's even still interested," Lily grumbled, resting her temple into her upturned palm.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Angela begged. "You've got everything going for you. Forget, for a second, that you've got this town in the palm of your hand, because you've clearly got an amazing career. But you're smart, too. You're fun to hang out with, you're always too good to your friends, you give your time and money to charities. And look at you. You're gorgeous, to boot. Hell, if I weren't married, I'd do you."

Lily laughed, palming her hand over her eyes. "Thanks, babe."

"Anytime," she winked. "But seriously, don't worry about down the road. Start with the here and now. One step at a time. First things first, you two need to talk."

A handful of photographers snapped pics of Lily and Angela outside of the hotel. Lily politely deflected their questions, while she signed a couple of autographs. She tipped the valet who brought around her Maserati and crept into traffic as the photogs gathered around her car for a chance at one last pic. In the privacy of the sleek black luxury car, Angela encouraged her friend.

"You should call him."

"Tonight? You think?" Lily worried. 

"You said he's leaving tomorrow, right?" Angela pressed. "You don't know when he'll be back next. And we _know_ you're not getting out of LA for awhile."

Lily reached into the back seat, pulling her purse up front when she stopped at a red light. "Here," she said, digging her phone out of her purse. Pressing her thumb to unlock the screen before the light changed, she passed it over to Angela. "Text him for me. See if he's free tonight."

Angela typed and waited, staring at the screen, while Lily drove. They both jumped a little at the chime of a reply. Lily glanced at Angela, expectantly. Angela shook her head, typing back a response.

"He's got plans with friends. They're out to dinner or something for the night," she said. The phone rested with her hands in her lap and she added, "I kept it light, asking if he was busy tonight. Sorry, babe."

"Never know till you try, right?" Lily shrugged, glancing at her phone in Angela's lap.

"Maybe brunch tomorrow?" she offered. "Should I say that?"

Lily bit her lip, thinking. "No," she shook her head. "In the morning. Don't want to sound too desperate."

"That works," Angela conceded. They drove on in silence for a couple of minutes, Lily brooding a bit and Angela sharing her friend's disappointment, before Angela perked up. "We need to get you out of this mood. You wanna get all sexied up and get shit faced?"

"Oh, my god, yes," Lily agreed.

They went to Angela's house first. While Angela debated a pair of outfits, Lily sent out the word that they were going out again. She had a few more friends and their dates ready to meet them at 9:30. Angela packed a few accessories and Lily called Jessica to have her try and arrange a table for the group at Pour Vous and an escort for the night.

Back at Lily's place, Angela fussed over her hair while Lily modeled a few dresses. She settled on a red lace mini dress with a pair of black suede ankle strap heels from Saint Laurent. Angela helped Lily with the clasp of a diamond tennis bracelet to compliment the studs she wore. She settled on a trio of stackable diamond and ruby rings and a low, side-swept ponytail to finish her look.

"There," Angela smiled, giving Lily's hair an extra shot of hairspray. "Perfect. Spa day, good dinner, hot outfit, and booze. You'll feel better in no time."

"In case I'm too drunk to tell you later, thanks for tonight Ang," Lily said, puckering her ruby lips at her friend.

"Anytime," she nodded. 

Stepping out the door at 9, Drew met the ladies in the driveway, opening the door of the dark SUV and noting, with a smirk, "Two nights in a row. Will we be going out for a third tomorrow, or were you going to go to church instead?"

"You need another Haterade, D," Lily smirked, "or are you thoroughly hydrated for the night?"

"I'm fine, thanks," he nodded, shaking his head after her as Lily greeted her driver/additional body guard for the night, Ami.

"Sometimes a girl just has ta dance!" Angela declared, throwing her arm up with a flourish.

"Husband and kid still gone?" Drew presumed, quirking up a brow.

"Yes," Angela sneered, before giving him a pat on the arm and climbing in beside Lily.

"What is it tonight?" Drew asked, shutting his door up front.

"Pour Vous, s'il vous plait," Lily smiled.

"Oui, mademoiselle," he nodded, gesturing for Ami to go.

There was a small line outside. Lily's friends were waiting inside the door. They joined her small entourage and were shown to reserved tables under the dome of the bird cage-like lounge area. Lily's group took up one half of the room. There were reserved cards on the other tables, but Lily didn't mind sharing the room, with Drew keeping watch from the end of the velvet bench seating near the fireplace and Ami at the steps down.

The night was just getting started and the crowd was thin, but it was technically early by LA standards. Lily fully expected that to change as soon as she noticed a few cell phones pointed in her direction. Lily started off the night, opening up a tab and ordering a punch bowl for the group and a couple friends took advantage of the open floor in front of the tables to dance. Lily didn't hesitate to join them.

The manager had come over to introduce Lily and thank her for coming by. The waitress was prompt and the burlesque dancers were as beautiful as always. Lily and her friends took selfies and bottles of Dom and Grey Goose were added to the running bill. It wasn't hard for Lily to start forgetting her troubles again.


	32. Chapter 32

Time flew, for Lily and her friends. The "reserved" tables on the other half of the room were never filled and Lily supposed it was a case of no-shows or a cautious move by the management to keep room available for more of Lily's beautiful or celebrity friends. They had already let the curtain panels drape to try and offer a hint of privacy to the open air lounge area when a small crowd of curious customers started to hover nearby.

Drinks were flowing, the music kept them moving, and the show dancers were almost hypnotic. Lily and Angela collapsed, arm in arm, together into the velvet seating, laughing in delight of the night out they were having. Their waitress edged into the room, expertly siding by the dancing bodies with a pair of drinks on a silver tray.

The waitress set down the stemmed glasses on the small round table in front of Lily and Angela and Lily waved her off, saying, "We didn't order these."

The waitress smiled, bending forward to be heard, as she folded her arms to hold the tray against her chest. "Compliments of one of our guests at a private table. He said to tell you, they're from 'Stanley'."

Lily paused, a vague smile coming to her face, as Angela brashly wondered, "Who the fuck is 'Stanley'?"

Just as Lily turned to Angela to explain, she caught sight of Drew looking out to the front of their private room. He nodded once, flicking a pair of fingers back in some kind of signal. Lily turned over the other direction to see Ami acknowledge Drew's permission, stepping aside to sweep a hand out and invite Sebastian into the domed lounge to join the party. He wore his trademark grin as he came down the steps. Lily clutched her hand over Angela's knee, for her attention, and sent him back a smile. She stood to greet him, when he reached their table.

Sebastian leaned in to brush a kiss at her cheek, as he took Lily's hands in his and she laughed, "From Stanley, huh?"

Sebastian shrugged, innocently, running his eyes up and down Lily. "Well, don't you two look ready to rip a man's beating heart out of his chest," he noted. Angela was on her feet and Sebastian stepped around the table to hug her. "Hey, Ang," he smiled. "It's good to see you." He gave her an approving once over. "I heard you had a baby. You look as amazing as ever."

"Thank you," Angela blushed, putting her hand over her heart at the compliment. "You look great. How's the other coast doing these days?"

The ladies sat down and Sebatian took the chair on the outside of their table. "It's good. Yeah, real good," he said, bobbing his head. Sebastian leaned over, reaching across himself to offer his hand to Drew. "He-Man, how's it going?"

"Just fine, Mr. Stan," Drew smirked, straightening up to shake his hand.

Sebastian's smile beamed, as he turned back to the table. "So, Ang, where's good ol' Jeffrey tonight?"

"Jeff had a conference in Denver," she frowned. "He's gone till Monday. He'll be so sorry he missed you."

" _I'm_ sorry I missed him," he seconded, before taking a sip of the cocktail in his hand. 

"What'd you send over?" Angela questioned, taking up a glass for inspection and a taste.

"Remember The Maine," he replied, raising his glass to her. "It's a classic."

Lily took a sip of her drink, taking a moment to let the flavors roll over her tongue. She nodded and hummed her approval. "That's good."

"Knew you two would like it," he said, the hint of smugness in the corner of his mouth.

"You're not here by yourself, are you?" Angela worried.

"No," he grimaced. "Sad New Yorker drinks in LA alone," he sarcastically headlined, with a snort. Sebastian jerked his thumb behind him and threw a half-assed look over his shoulder. "No. Here with some friends. You guys remember Jeremy and Mark, right?" They both nodded. "We just figured out what all the fuss was about over here. Thought I'd say hi, since I missed you guys last night."

"Angie was completely inconsolable about that, by the way," Lily sighed, with a sad sweep of her head.

"Well," Angela clarified, "not _completely_ inconsolable. But there was probably a minute or two between drinks where I was slightly put out."

"Well, I'm glad it didn't ruin your night," he nodded, toasting her again.

"Speaking of drinks," Angela began, swatting at Lily's leg for her to move, "I need to pee."

Lily stood up again to let Angela slide off the bench. "On your way back," Lily told her, "why don't you grab Jeremy and Mark and whoever else, bring them back with you."

"Oh, no," Sebastian began to protest, holding up a hand. "That's okay. There's, like, five of us. I just came by to say hi."

Lily gestured to the empty tables behind him. "Plenty of room for more," she insisted and turned to Drew. "Can you let Ami know we have more guests coming?"

Drew stood up, smoothing his tie and buttoning his suit jacket as he passed Lily, with a nod, to talk to Ami. Lily sat down again, taking another sip of her free cocktail and sending Sebastian a warm smile in the short silence. Sebastian swallowed the last of his drink and pushed the empty glass away from him on the table between them. Not sure how long the pause could go on for, Sebastian fished for a conversation starter.

"So, how'd the rest of the screen tests go?" he asked.

"Good," Lily nodded, twisting the stem of her glass with her fingertips. "Sounds like they saw some things they liked."

"Hey," he began, resting an arm onto the table, "I've been meaning to ask you, you didn't really call anybody about me auditioning for 'Pete', did you?"

"What?" Lily balked. She shook her head. "No. Why?"

"Because, in Montauk, you joked that you were going to," Sebastian reminded her, "and then, out of the blue, my agent's calling me, saying they want me to come out at the end of May to run some lines. It just seemed a little coincidental is all."

"I didn't say anything," she promised. "I was just as surprised as you. In fact, I didn't even know you were coming until that day." Lily's brow rose, thoughtfully, when she added, "But I know they were interested after they saw the audition tape I made with you."

"Is that it?" he mused.

"That's what I heard, at dinner the other night," she shrugged. Lily pointed at his empty glass and inclined her head toward the bottles of booze chilling in silver ice buckets on the next table over. "You're looking a little dry there. Help yourself."

"Nah. Didn't come over to mooch," he winked.

"You driving?" Lily teased.

"Like I know where shit is in LA," he scoffed. "I barely drive in New York. What the hell would I do out here?"

"Fair enough," she conceded, her smile broadening as she noticed Sebastian's friends arrive.

Lily stood to greet them. She gave welcoming hugs to Jeremy and Mark and accepted gentlemanly handshakes from the pair of men she met with them. She motioned for them to take over any of the free tables and have some drinks. When the waitress came back around, Lily ordered another punch bowl for the room, asking the girl to make an apology to the other waitress for taking her customers away. Lily assured her there would be a good tip for the other server to make up for the rest of the night. In the meantime, the two groups of partiers mixed nicely. The funny thing about LA was that everybody knew everybody else, somehow, even in a six-degrees kind of way.

Somewhere after one in the morning, Lily took a break from dancing. She fell into the plush booth back with a small sigh. Two nights of drinking and dancing might actually be catching up with her. Lily sent Drew to have the waitress bring around some water and a bottle of Krug Grande Cuvee, and checked her phone while she waited. She looked over, when the bench beside her dipped, and smiled at Sebastian.

"You're not giving up already, are you?" he smirked. "It's not even last call."

"Just catching my breath," she assured him. "It's still early."

"Have a little too much fun last night?" Sebastian nudged her side.

"Hardly," Lily barked, laughing into the last bit of her glass of Dom.

"Saw you in the paper," he mentioned.

Lily scrunched up her nose. "Which one?"

"All of 'em," he chuckled. "Couldn't finish my coffee without your stupid face showing up on every other page." Lily laughed and gave him a shove in the arm. "Pics of you at Starbucks. Pics of you at some restaurant with a bunch of people, of you out last night. I see you've had no trouble getting back into the swing of things," he said, holding his hands up at the room.

"You're getting around pretty well yourself," Lily smirked. "Didn't know you came here."

The next show was about to begin, as the dancer entered and Sebastian shrugged. "Can't beat the view." Lily arched a brow, with a crooked smile that he matched. "First time," he told her. "Can't believe I haven't heard of this place."

"Well, you don't spend enough time out here to know all the good spots," she explained, her eyes eagerly widening when the waitress returned with the next bottle of champagne and several bottles of water.

Sebastian pushed up out of his seat, taking the bottle from its bucket and expertly popping the cork. He poured a glass for Lily, one for Angela, which he passed off to her where she was talking with Jeremy, and, lastly, a glass for himself. He settled back into the booth beside Lily. Sebastian took a sip of his drink and cocked his head, considering his glass. "That's some good shit."

Lily giggled. "I don't half-ass anything," she winked.

Sebastian laughed. "You sure know how to throw a party, Benny."

Lily puckered a smile, shifting her lips to the side to keep it in control. She felt her heart swell. It was the first time he'd called her Benny. She noticed, sometime after she had turned him down in Montauk, he'd stopped calling her anything but Lil or Lily. She didn't know if it was a slip, if maybe the alcohol had made him forget he was keeping the nickname from her, but it instantly made her feel at ease.

"You know," she began, "if you bothered to call anyone, there could have been a party for you."

He nodded, until he finished swallowing his sip of champagne. "Yeah, well," Sebastian muttered, tipping his head in a sort of half-shrug.

Lily frowned and let out a heavy breath. "You're still mad at me, aren't you?"

Sebastian turned his head to stare at her for a moment, before shaking his head. "No," he told her. "I've never been mad at you."

"Just disappointed," she figured, with a self-deprecating smile, turning her eyes down to the flute of champagne fizzing in her hand.

"A little disappointed," he admitted, taking a full drink from his glass and sweeping his gaze around the room.

"I'm sorry for that," Lily offered, her voice a little softer.

Sebastian flashed a sympathetic grin and hooked an arm behind her neck, pulling her over to kiss the top of her head. "No apologies," he said.

Angela sank into the couch and Sebastian's side, with an exaggerated sigh. "Whew! I don't know about you guys," she started, pointing a finger at Sebastian and Lily and then back at herself, "but I am, quite possibly, a little bit of drunk."

Sebastian laughed and Lily shook her head with a smile. "You think?" he jokingly wondered, putting his other arm around Angela's shoulders.

"You wanna stay with me tonight, sweetie?" Lily offered, sitting up to peek around Sebastian at Angela.

"Yes! My house is sooo empty," Angela pouted.

"Okay then," Lily chuckled.

"Can we have pancakes, in the morning?" Angela wondered, pinching her brow down deep in thought.

"Of course, we're having pancakes," Lily agreed.

Angela reached across the front of Sebastian to put her hand on Lily's knee. "Seeee? That's why everyone loves you," she told her.

"Because pancakes," Sebastian stressed, raising his brow and pursing his lips to emphasize his nodding agreement of Angela's reasoning.

Lily patted her hand over Angela's. "Thank you, babe."

Drew came over and leaned down to tell Lily, "It's 1:30."

She grabbed Drew's wrist to see his watch and hissed in a breath. "Oo, shit." Lily grabbed her small purse beside her, pulling out a compact to check herself over.

Sebastian laughed out loud, shaking his head and holding a hand up toward her face. "Are you really?"

"Checking my makeup?" Lily concluded, giving him a side eye glance as she smoothed on a fresh coat of lipstick. "Of course, I am."

His mouth hung open in an amused smile as Angela did "grabby hands" across the front of him for Lily's lipstick. "We have standards out here, ya know," Angela told him.

"You two are psychotic," he decided, watching Lily run the tip of her little finger under her lower lashes to polish up her mascara and eyeliner before passing the mirror to Angela.

"That's how you stay on the A List, baby," Lily winked.

Angela pressed her freshly colored lips together and held out the stick to Sebastian. "Want some?"

His head ticked back and Sebastian held up his hand, guiding hers across him to give the makeup back to Lily, saying, "No. Thanks. I'm good."

With an indifferent shrug, Angela sat back in her seat, fumbling through her purse for her phone. She leaned into Sebastian, holding out her phone at arm's length for a photo and telling him to smile. Sebastian did and Angela puckered a red pair of lips onto Sebastian's cheek. He laughed when she proudly pointed at his cheek, telling him, "Now you got some lipstick."

"Thanks, Ang," he smiled, shaking his head, as he reached for a cocktail napkin from the table to wipe his face.

Angela stood up, with a small stomp of her foot. "Are we really done?" she almost whined.

Lily scratched a finger on Sebastian's arm and, when he looked, she shooed him to move down. "Always leave them wanting more," she reminded Angela, giving the hem of her little dress a tug as she stood.

Fanning an excited hand out toward Lily, Angela suggested, "After party?" Lily debated the idea, with a deep inhale. "Come on. My first kid-free weekend."

"Fine," Lily nodded. She wasn't too drunk or too tired for company yet.

Lilian raised her voice to be heard by her friends over the music, letting everyone know they were all invited to follow her back to her house. She called for Drew, waving her hand overhead. When he came back, Lily told him the night wasn't over and to make sure everyone who needed a cab or driver had one. Drew stepped away to speak with Ami, before making the rounds of the guests in the lounge.

Lily grabbed the last of her glass of Krug off the table. She threw back the drink and put a knee down to reach and pick up her purse from of the booth. Instead of straightening up, she sat herself on Sebastian's lap and bent her arm behind his neck, a bit inebriated to think much of it. It wasn't anything that hadn't happened before. Lily pursed her lips and gave his chest a soft thump.

"You're leaving tomorrow," she frowned.

Sebastian's arm curled around her waist and he rested his hand on her knee, staring up at her, almost apologetically, and skimming his thumb over her bare skin. "I'm leaving tomorrow," he nodded.

Lily took in and let out a deep breath. She hugged her arms around his neck, squeezing him tight, and pointing out, "Nothing says LA like flying out with a hangover. Come hang out with us?"

He held her as close as she did him, until she let go to lean back and see him again, waiting for a reply. Sebastian flashed her a meek smile, saying, "I'll see where the guys are going."


	33. Chapter 33

Leaving the cocktail lounge was a bit of a circus. Everyone knew where Lily was long before last call. Staff had done their best to corral photographers to one side of the entrance with velvet ropes and stanchions. Ami had the car waiting for Lily, while Drew muscled people away with a stiff arm out and a hand on Lily's back to keep her moving forward. Once Lily and Angela were stashed in the SUV and on their way, the paparazzi split up, some following her other friends and some to follow Sebastian and his on their way to their cars in the lot, when they were spotted.

Sebastian didn't play into their questions about Lily. Instead, he gave short, snarky answers to why he was in town- "Work. That's what actors in LA do, right?" and why he was with Lily- "Beats me, man. I think she showed up first, so I don't think they were stalking us, like you." He kept his eyes on where he was going, offering a smile and some courtesy only to a couple of fans who braved the lightning storm of camera flashes and camcorder lights to ask for autographs. That's what he hated about Los Angeles, the hounding.

On the ride to Lily's house, Sebastian was a silent party to the conversation in the car. He rubbed his hand down his face, when the scenery got familiar and he realized they only had a little ways to go. He knew why he was going- because everyone else was going. He just wasn't sure what he was doing. 

The extra cars lined up in the drive behind Lily's gate. Sebastian took a deep breath, lagging a step behind his friends on the way up to the house. He was teetering on the edge of regret for coming. Not everyone from the bar came to the house. With the smaller crowd, there were fewer distractions and less of a buffer between him and Lily.

He laughed along with everyone else, when someone opened the door to the patio in the backyard and pool and Lily promised a swift death to anyone who goes swimming and 'puts naked asses' on her furniture. Despite the bit of humor, Sebastian felt a little out of sorts. He'd been to her house before. Hell, he'd even stayed there as her guest for his last social visit to the west coast a couple years ago. It hadn't changed too much since then, it was still familiar and inviting. But his mind wouldn't let him relax, telling him there was an uneasy tension that came and went between him and Lily, while his heart argued there wasn't. The one thing he was sure of was how frustrating it was to have Lily sit in his lap and hug him so close before they left the bar. Part of him was eager for the touch and the closeness, to smell her perfume directly from her skin. The other wanted to push her back and tell her not to tease. Only, he couldn't decide if it was a tease or if it was just the old Lily, affectionate and playful, without an ulterior motive.

For the entertaining Lily had done since she had gotten back to LA, there was a small stock of booze. Someone had stopped on the way and bought several bags of greasy take out to fill complaining bellies. Music from the stereo filled the house, underlining laughing conversations and inviting occasional dancers to their feet. The sober-ish few who dared into the pool wrapped their sopping underweared selves in thick towels for warmth. Lily floated around it all, being the gracious and attentive hostess she always was.

While she stoked the atmosphere of the party, Lily confounded Sebastian. He wanted to attribute the lingering touches to the booze, knowing how most people got more affectionate with more alcohol. But the nonchalant way her hand fell and stayed on his knee during a story and the way she nestled under his arm when it was laid across the back of the couch and she sat down next to him were damned near infuriating. Did she know? Was she doing it on purpose, teasing him with flirty comments or running her fingers back through his hair, for her own amusement? Exciting him and giving him hope. Or was it all in his imagination? Had he had too much to drink himself and was reading in to nothing to tell himself there was a shot?

After a couple hours, the partiers started to head their separate ways. While there had been a couple designated drivers in the group earlier, Drew and Ami were still on hand outside, making sure no one left on their own that wasn't able to take care of themselves or straight enough to drive. Anyone who didn't have a way or wasn't staying at the house was curbed for Ami and Drew to take them, and their cars, home. By 4 a.m., Lily had tucked Angela into a guest room and the music was a subtle background to softer voices and virgin drinks. The long night was just about over. 

Sebastian found Lily in the kitchen, throwing away food wrappers and empty bottles. "Hell of a night, Benny," he noted, stepping into the kitchen to lean down on the large marble countered island, "as always."

"You headed home?" she wondered, making a quick check of the clock on the wall. "That sounds like the wind up to an exit."

Sebastian snorted, dropping and giving her a shake of his head. "It is," he admitted. 

"I'm glad we got to see you before you left town," she said, managing to pull up the corners of her mouth into a halfway convincing grin, as she rinsed her hands off in the sink.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Thanks for having us over."

"Door's always open," she assured him, wiping her hands on a towel from a hook on the end of the island and feeling a nervousness swell in her gut. 

Sebastian straightened up, his back arching with a deep, but tired, inhale. "It was good to see you, Benny," he told her. "You'll tell Angie I said goodbye, right?"

Lily nodded, her eyes turned down to focus her attention on rehanging her towel, hesitating, not knowing how to start a conversation that had been in the back of her mind all night. "Of course," she smiled, already thinking of missing him calling her 'Benny'. 

There was a pause, an awkward feeling in the air, where neither of them moved or spoke. A burst of laughter from the next room pulled both their gazes toward the sound. Lily knew she had guests to entertain or see out and cleared her throat softly, edging around the island corner to go back to the living room. Sebastian shifted with her and reached out, catching her wrist in his hand. She stopped, looking down at his hand on her.

"Lil," he said then stopped. The second's worth of hesitation felt like it stretched on for hours, before he started again. "Lil, what's going on?" When she bit her lip and her eyes ticked to the floor, instead of answering, he went on. "I didn't know if coming here would be a good idea. After you spent half the night flirting an' touching me, I think I know it wasn't. Lil, I know how we were, before all that stuff I said in Montauk,...but it's not okay anymore. It's not fair."

Lily's heart skipped and her stomach sank. She looked up, her face blanked at the sudden worried thought that she'd done something wrong and lost him. Sebastian's defeated expression cut her deeply and she wanted to apologize and make amends for whatever mistakes she had made tonight, but her throat had inexplicably gone dry and no words came out when she opened her mouth. Sebastian let go of her arm and she was panicked by the absence of his warm touch. 

It was all she could think of to do. She didn't want him to go. Lily turned, closing the inches between them with a small step in. Her hand found his chest and her arm wrapped up behind his neck, her lips purposefully meeting Sebastian's. She couldn't rationalize it and she didn't know how he would respond, but she couldn't stop herself either.

To say Sebastian was surprised was an understatement. He was trying to tell her things had to change. Tonight solidified it for him, that he couldn't put up with the playfulness anymore. It had started to hurt whenever she got that close, because he knew she wasn't going to stay there. But, now, his hand curved around the back of her neck and his arm hooked around her was pulling at her hips to keep her close and it seemed just as much her fault and will as his, when their lips parted and tongues danced. 

Somehow, the noise in the house dissolved. The world was muted, save for their eager exhales and the scuff of Lily's heel as she and Sebastian fumbled back into the counter behind her. His hand came down, fingertips tracing and curling up under the lacy hem of her dress, and Lily scratched her fingernails through the back of his hair. The backs of his fingers dragged against her skin as her dress bunched up in his hand and, when he should have been happy about the buck of her hips to his, he was acutely aware of the sweet taste of alcohol still on her lips and tongue. Sebastian was disgusted with himself, loosing his hands from her and taking a step back, as he had a moment of clarity that this might only be happening because she was as drunk as he probably was or more so.

"Fuck, Lilian," Sebastian complained, wincing as he shaded a hand to his forehead.

She heard the name and knew, instantly, that she had done something wrong. Lily's eyes dropped, like a scolded child, and her hands retreated to hold onto the countertop edge behind her. She was speechless again, confused because she thought that's what he'd wanted all along. 

Lily held up a palm in question, shaking her head, saying, "I thought you want-"

"Jesus," he muttered, interrupting. "No. Not like this." His eyes ran down her and he sighed, hating himself for still drinking in the sight of her in that perfect dress. Sebastian crushed his eyes closed and turned away, with a frustrated wave of his hand in the air. "Not because it's 4:30 in the morning and you're just throwing yourself at me 'cause I'm leaving tomorrow or you're drunk or whatever the hell this is." He rubbed a hand across his lips, wiping away any hint of her lipstick.

Biting her lip, Lily stared at the floor, a little dumbfounded and completely embarrassed by how right he was. This was pathetic and desperate, not at all what she wanted to do. They were supposed to talk, like adults. It was an important conversation to have, not a spontaneous moment to have blurred by alcohol.

"I- I'm sorry," she softly stammered. "I wanted to tal-"

"Just-" Sebastian sighed, his face wincing and holding up a frustrated hand to stop her. "I think we've both had enough for one night...of everything." He shook his head clear and took a long step over, hesitating a moment before touching his hand to her arm and kissing the air beside her cheek. "I'll see ya around, Lil."

Sebastian headed back to the living room. He put on a tired smile for his friends who were waiting on him. Lily came in, wiping off the shame-filled expression she wore only moments ago to wish everyone a goodnight and safe trip home. The last of the stragglers shuffled out with Sebastian leading the way. Lily watched from the door step, arms folded over herself against the chill of the early morning air. She nodded and smiled her thanks to Drew and Ami, as they headed to their SUV to end the work day when the last car had pulled out of the gate.

Lily shut and locked the door behind her, with a heavy sigh. She went through the house, turning off the lights and music. Upstairs, she peeled off her dress and left it on the floor of her dressing room. She was too tired to care anymore. Lily pulled a camisole overhead and crawled under the sheets of her bed. She laid there for a long time, cringing when she relived the moment in the kitchen with Sebastian. With a petulant groan, Lily pulled the covers over her head and begged for sleep.

For having only a couple hours sleep, Lily was surprisingly functional. The birds singing and sun shining outside kept her awake when she got out of bed to go to the bathroom. She gave up on her bed, pulled on a pair of shorts, and headed out into the hallway. The doors to the guest rooms were still shut. She didn't expect anyone else to be up and her suspicions were confirmed, when she peered into Angela's room for the night and heard her still softly snoring. Lily slipped in the room, shutting the door behind her and crawling head first into the empty half of the bed.

Angela stirred, at the movement of the mattress. She stretched, yawning to ask, "What time is it?"

"Too early," Lily quietly assured her, balling up to pull the covers out from underneath her. "Go back to sleep."

"Why are you up?" Angela asked, rubbing at her eyes and blinking at the brightness outside the window.

"I'm not," Lily sighed, pulling the sheets up to her chin. "I'm a ghost. I died last night."

Anglea rolled to her side, inching over to cuddle with Lily and closing her eyes again. "Oh, no. What did I miss?"

"Ohh, it's bad," Lily shook her head against the pillow. "Ang, it is so, so very bad."

"Well, I'm dying to know now," she coaxed her on.

"I kinda, sorta, actually may have kissed Sebastian," Lily danced around.

Angela picked up her head to stare at Lily, waiting for her to open her eyes and see her. "You did what now?" she checked. "I need details. Is he still here?"

"No," Lily breathed out. "Thank god." She wiped her hands down her face and Angela retreated to her pillow, folding it over to prop up her chin and wait for Lily to go on. "Everybody was gone a little after 4. Well, everyone but you...and Josh and Emily are next door."

"Who cares?" Angela fanned a disinterested hand. "Get back to Seb."

Lily groaned, folding her arm over her eyes. "We were in the kitchen," Lily explained. "I was throwing some stuff away and he came in to say goodbye. He was saying something about things not being fair anymore and I-" Lil threw her hands up in the air. "I don't know. I kissed him."

"What did he say?" Angela pressed, looping her hand to keep Lily going. "Before you guys kissed?"

"That he shouldn't have come back to the house," she said, "and things had to change between us, because it wasn't fair to still act like we used to."

"He's probably got a point there," Angela conceded. "You guys always were the kind to get away with the touchy-feely shit."

"Yeah, and after a few drinks last night..."

"What did he say after?" she asked.

"Oh, God," Lily grimaced. She let out a heavy breath. "That's the worst part." She shook her head at a herself, trying to find the nerve to go on. "I thought that's what he wanted, me to kiss him, you know? But he said, not like that. Not when my drunk ass is throwing myself at him. And then he said 'I'll see you around' and he left."

"Huh," Angela mused, turning her cheek down to her pillow.

Lily rolled her eyes over to see her friend. "That's all you got, is 'huh'?"

"It's early, I'm hungover," Angela explained. "I'm workin' on it." She let out a slow, contemplative exhale. "Sooo, how was it?"

"The kiss?" Lily wondered and Angela nodded. Lily shook her head, recalling, "It was hot." Angela snorted, burying her nose into the pillow, as Lily pulled an arm out from under the blankets to slap Angela's arm and whine, "It's not funny! It's a disaster."

"Now what are you going to do?"

"What the hell do you think I'm telling you this for?" Lily complained. "I need _you_ to tell me."

"I don't know, babe," she admitted. "I mean, do you go try to talk to him now that you've slept it off a bit? Do you even know where he's staying?"

Lily shook her head. "He doesn't come out enough to have a usual spot," she told her. "Sometimes it's a hotel. If it's a short trip, maybe just at a friend's place. I don't know. And I don't know when he leaves either."

"Call him," Angela decided.

"I can't," Lily insisted.

"Why not?" she practically demanded. 

"Because he didn't sound like he wants to see me," Lily said. "He wasn't happy with me. He was already trying to tell me things weren't going to be the same anymore. If we were dating, what he said was only one line short of a breakup speech." She sighed. "Maybe it's just a sign to let him go."

"'Let him go' let him go?" Angela wondered. "Like, 'been nice knowing you'?"

"Why not?" Lily agreed. "I don't see how I can recover from this one. ...I fucked up pretty royally, Ang."

Angela sighed, unfolding her pillow to settle back down beside Lily and hug an arm over her belly. "I don't know, Lil. He's been your friend for a long time. Can you let him go?"

"Pretty sure he's already gone," Lily decided.


	34. Chapter 34

Lily couldn't muster the nerve to call, or even message, Sebastian. Despite the peptalks from Angela over the pancakes Lily promised her, she had never been more embarrassed in her life. The way things were left the night before, Lily figured they had pretty much already been decided. They couldn't go back to being the friends they had been and there didn't look like there was much to salvage for the future. She chalked it up to another in a long line of failed relationships in her life and career.

Not wanting to wallow in self-pity for too long, Lily threw herself into a routine, first thing Monday morning. She took business calls with her assistant between 8 a.m. and 9, to make sure nothing had come up overnight. She was in the gym by 9:30, alternating routines with her trainer and scheduling herself there no less than four times a week, as long as her filming and other obligations permitted. The afternoon was set aside to allow for any meetings that needed to happen with her team. The nights were free for her celebrity obligations and friends.

Lily's publicist and her team were on fire, setting her up with magazine photo shoots, print interviews, and appearances around town. The studio heads were already tapping Lily to name drop her upcoming project and she was back on the Sony lot for a pair of screen tests again. The casting director and the rest of the production higher ups were debating her male lead and had requested another look at some actors. Lily obliged by rerunning the tests with new scenes. Working the new pieces, she could see why they wanted another look. The screenplay put a lot of weight on some redrafted scenes for 'Pete'. Although she hadn't heard from Sebastian since he left Los Angeles two weeks ago, she was disappointed to not hear his name floated around for the callbacks. She shrugged it off, determined to keep looking onward and up.

Everything work-wise was coming together again nicely. In LA, Lily's public image should have been radiant, but the tabloids had started reviving insinuations and claims they made about Lily's nights on the town from just months earlier. Accolades still followed her from her stint as Stella in New York, execs and fans alike were clamoring for her attention day and night, and even the paparazzi photos looked flattering. But the pair of back-to-back nights out between the bars lit a new fire in the rumor mill of excessive drinking and questionable decisions. Gossip rags started putting together photo timelines of any sightings of Lily out after sunset with friends, as if she were on some downward spiral. It was beginning to grate on her nerves, as if she wasn't already being hard on herself about how badly her last encounter with Sebastian had been. 

When she was spotted at a casual lunch with a handsome fellow actor and then with him at a new LA hot spot later that night, the gossip rags showed surprising restraint, simply starting to draw lines toward a male lead for Lily's movie. When photogs snapped them laughing over coffee at a table for two outside a small bistro, they started talking. Headlines were inquisitive, but polite. It seemed every one was intrigued and waiting to see what happened, maybe looking for some kind of "redemption" arc to write. And what easier way than for writers to exploit a new relationship.

Alexander Mattis was a name in his own right. The handsome actor, at 34 and with sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes, had made his start as a stunt man in his early 20s. He broke into acting with his first supporting role at 27 and his career took off from there. He was known for his lovable tough guy personas on screen, though he was getting his chance at more complex and dramatic leading roles lately. He'd just finished the ADR on his last film, when he crossed paths with Lily on the Sony lot and took the chance to ask her to lunch.

It wasn't an overt attempt to start a fling. Alex and Lily shared a few scenes a couple years ago, when Alex had a bit role in one of her films. He had only been around for the last two weeks of the shoot for his part, but he was a likable guy and they took lunch to catch up and for him to solicite some advice from Lily about an opportunity someone tipped him off to. It was after the check came that Alex seemed to have the idea to actually ask her out.

"Thanks," Alex said, flicking his eyes up to the waiter, with a smile, as he reached out for the check. 

"Oh," Lily smiled, a little surprised. "We're not 'going Dutch'?"

"It's the least I can do for you letting me pick your brain," he smiled, slipping his credit card into the pocket of the bill cover.

Lily was already reaching into her purse for her wallet. "Then, at least, let me cover the tip."

"Fair enough," Alex consented, watching Lily thumb out some cash. 

"It was good running into you though," Lily offered, tucking her wallet away and folding the cash to lay aside on the table. "It's been awhile. I'm glad to see everything's working out for you like you wanted."

"Yeah," he agreed. "No complaints here." The waiter came by again to take the bill to the register and it was quiet for a moment at the table, while Lily looked at the message her phone just chimed in. Alex piped up again, as she read. "I know this is a little out of the blue," he told her and she looked up to give him her attention, "but I was just wondering, if maybe you were free tonight."

Caught off guard, Lily blinked, repeating, "Tonight?"

Alex nodded, with a hint of a bashful smile in the corner of his mouth. "Some friends of mine are getting together, sort of a send off for a guy headed to Prague for work. Maybe you know him, Eric Sommerset?"

"Kinda," Lily remembered. "We've been at a few events together."

"It's nothing fancy," Alex shrugged. "Some drinks and bullshitting, but, I promise, it'll be a good time. Maybe you'd want to join me?"

She couldn't quite explain it, but Lily felt a flutter in her gut and a soft heat in her cheeks. From across the table, Alex looked to be having the same reaction. She was surprised by the offer, expecting the mostly business lunch to stay on topic. But she had no plans and the whole scene was too endearing to say 'no' to. They traded phone numbers and made plans to meet.

Alex had a good sense of humor and fun loving friends. He wasn't a bad dancer, either. What drew Lily in to his side in the VIP area was the way he subtlety doted on her. He did the gentlemanly things, opening doors and such, but it was the extra care and genuine interest in his voice, when he asked her if she needed anything or if she was having a good time, that struck her. When the crowd got a little thicker, she noticed him turn himself to keep room in front of her and his soft touch on her back to guide her around was comforting, protective but not possessive. He also didn't make a big show of having Lily with him, like people tended to do. The attention was flattering and his chiseled jaw and well-toned muscles were hardly a detractor. At the end of the night, when he didn't make a move, she was impressed. Alexander simply asked if he could call her and turned her over to Drew for safekeeping, with a polite kiss at the side of her cheek.

He did call her. The next day, in fact. The conversation came easy, pieces here and there about acquaintances they figured out they had in common and an invitation to coffee later in the week. It was the coffee date that had the papers salivating and linking them as a couple. A fast photographer caught the fleeting moment when Alex took her hand from the table, capturing the still of Lily's eyes crinkled shut in laughter and her fingers curled over his, just a fraction from his puckered lips. From there, writers started shipping. 'Liander' began trending and Lily and Alex's lips hadn't even touched.

Part of Lily was relieved that, when articles about her and Alex's alleged budding romance began popping up that they all referenced her and her former boyfriend, a star player for the Dodgers, as Lily's previous relationship, despite the romance ending several months ago. Of course, she understood there was no "relationship" with Sebastian, but she was grateful that the gossip hounds didn't further complicate or estrange their friendship by linking her and Sebastian romantically in New York beyond co-stars and friends. 

Alexander and Lily clicked right away. They both had the time, in between projects, to spend getting to know each other. And there was no shortage of places to go or events to attend in Los Angeles. The official moment when Liander could be, in fact, a thing came in the form of Lily appearing on Alex's tuxedoed arm for a charity event he was a strong supporter of, just a couple of weeks after they were first captured in photos. There was a small press-lined red carpet entrance before the fundraising dinner and the genetically blessed power couple became the go-to celebrity shot for just about every tabloid lead story the next morning. Lily's image in the press was glowing again and her confidence was on the mend. Alex was a safe harbor, making her feel cared for and comfortable again. It wasn't where she would have expected to be, if you had asked her weeks ago, but she enjoyed the feeling of security she'd found. He did wonders for her bruised self esteem and ego.

At the end of June, Lily got a heads up on the casting offers about to be made for her film. Over lunch with her director, Jason told her the short list of actors they were reaching out to. Sebastian was at the top of the list. In a way, Lily wasn't surprised, but she was curious why she didn't retest with him. The answer was simply, his résumé. They were confident he had the expressiveness they were looking for and the emotional range 'Pete' needed. In case he declined the role, they wanted to test their other top choices. She agreed Sebastian was perfect for the role.

"I think we all agree," Jason explained, "when you look back on Stan's filmography, the work is there. He maybe didn't get the best projects for his talents, but his television work is incredibly strong. That's what we ended up looking at when we decided to reach out to him first. I sent around a few edits of episodes to the casting team to see what I was talking about."

"It is impressive," Lily agreed.

"I was also using his appearance in your audition tape, to help sell the idea of calling him in to audition," the director added. "It really set the frame of mind when we were trying to picture who 'Pete' was. The studio was thinking we could put more behind this, entice a bigger name, with you already on board. But I think we can still keep the feel of this; not lose that kind of personal intimacy the script has, with a guy like him, despite the money they're willing to put into it now. We need chemistry to sell this. With the right counterpart for you, they're anticipating huge returns, after the rewrites. I think a grounded guy like Stan, with that range and the way he conveys emotions playing off of you, is exactly what we're looking for. Kind of a happy accident he was around, huh?"

"It was," she smiled, warmly.

Lilian hadn't heard a word from him, since he went back to New York after his screen test and the night they ran into each other at Pour Vous. She would never admit to it, but she scrolled through his Instagram account every now and again. He still wasn't posting much, but she saw him attend Fashion Week with some friends and drop random comments on posts. Honestly, Lily didn't expect him to hear from him, partly because of her cringeworthy behavior last time they were together and especially once her name started appearing next to Alex's in print and paparazzi snapped pics of them every moment they could.

She considered it may be more than a little vain on her part to presume Sebastian wouldn't take the part because she had already accepted. But there was a little reason in it, too. Lily wondered if he would be resentful, or anything else, of her dating Alexander so soon after he left and if he would hold that against her. Sebastian never struck her as one to hold a grudge, but this was different. This was hurt feelings and rejection. If there was no romance between them and their friendship was as damaged as she saw it to be, would they ever even work together again?

The more she thought on it, the more ridiculous scenarios became in her head. In one version, he accepted the role and the film tanked because they just couldn't get the chemistry on screen that they had in New York and critics and audiences panned the film for it. Another version had them biting and at odds the entire time. In her worst imagination, Lily saw Sebastian completely indifferent to her and what she'd been doing. There was an attention starved girl somewhere inside of her that wanted nothing more than to know he still cared and, secretly at least, that he might still care enough to be jealous.

Despite all outward evidence to the contrary, Lily wasn't as completely happy as photographs and smiling appearances would have the world believe. The worrying gave her a few restless nights and the paps were quick to write speculating stories about sudden weight loss when Lily was photographed looking a little leaner, leaving the gym with Alex, than she seemed to be before. Part of it was due to working with her trainer. The other was her cluttered mind's inconsistent attention to regular meals and sleep. 

Nothing was Alex's fault, though. He was a dream come true for just about any girl. Strong, athletic body carrying around a smart mind and good heart, Alexander was grounded, a self-made man, talented actor, and an ideal boyfriend. He was chivalrous and affectionate, he kept the details of his time with Lily private, and he was plainly enamored by her. Alex was quite astute to notice Lily's seeming obliviousness to eating and rest and kept her on track. He was a surprisingly good cook. He took wonderfully good care of her and it should be more than enough for anyone. But it only added to the conflict in her head.

Once in awhile, Lily found herself comparing his jokes to ones Sebastian would make. She noticed, that while Alex was incredibly handsome, his smile never struck her as being as wide and bright as she knew Sebastian's could be. Alex was still learning things about Lily, but he didn't seem to grasp them the same way Sebastian did. It was early and she knew she could hardly be nit picking him for not knowing all the subtleties of being her, but she couldn't help thinking sometimes that 'Sebastian would have known this' or that he 'would have said this instead'. There were a few nights Lily went to bed beside Alex, silently cursing and scolding herself for liking the cologne he wore a little less than Sebastian's or how differently it felt to have her head on Alex's strong shoulder. It was irrational and unfair to Alex, but Lily couldn't stop herself from comparing the two men who didn't even know they were in competition. She didn't dare confess her cluttered mind to Angela, for fear of being judged herself and criticized. Lily knew it was wrong. She didn't need reminders and disapproving scowls from her friends to pile on to her guilt and self-disapproval.

Lily's birthday rolled around, on the tenth day of July. Her birthday fell on a Sunday, so, to have a truly great party, she celebrated the day before. Lily turned 33 with fireworks on the beach and her friends at Alex's Malibu home. It was an all day affair with music, two meals of delicious catered food, and a bonfire all night, surrounded by famous and beautiful faces alike. When the sun set into the water, a giant 3-tiered cake was wheeled out for Lily to make a wish on. While her friends sang to her, she tried to come up with a good wish. She settled on asking for herself to just get her shit straight and be happy with what she had. When she blew out the candle, the glistening in her eyes came from the sudden thought of the pep talk Sebastian would give her, if he'd heard her say she wasn't happy with her life again. When she thumbed away the dampness in her eyes, it was with Alex's arm around her and his lips pressed into her hair, as everyone applauded what they took as her being overcome with joy at her party.

In the morning, Jessica met Lily at Alex's house. They packed up the last of Lily's gifts that hadn't been sent home the night before. At her home, Lily sorted through a pile of deliveries that had come while she was with Alexander. The dining room table was crowded with bouquets and assortments of flowers from industry execs and trinkets from friends. Opening cards and packages, Lily popped chocolates in her mouth at 10:30 in the morning, with her feet propped up on the chair beside her. It was almost an assembly line for her birthday gifts. Card, open box or bag, smile, eat chocolate, put aside for Jessica to write down on her 'thank you card' list. Lily would make amends for all the treats with her trainer tomorrow.

Almost at the end of her gifts, Lily put her feet down and sat up in her chair. The card on the white florist's box, delivered this morning, was from Sebastian. Lily eagerly pulled open the envelope and slid out the small card. The florist was local, but the note was hand written and it was unmistakably Sebastian's. Her brow knit in a moment's confusion, wondering if he was in town as she read.

[To the birthday girl. Cheers to 33.  
Love, Sebastian]

Opening the box, a dozen long stem, red roses were laid beautifully inside and bundled by a wide, silver ribbon. Tucked in along the stems was a small bottle of champagne. Lily picked up the bottle in one hand, smiling at it as she lifted the roses in the other. She took a long, deep breath of the rich scent of the perfect blooms. A small plastic pocket on the side of the box lid caught Lily's attention. She carefully set down her bouquet and picked out the folded paper from the slot. It was an invoice from the shop. It showed the order and instructions for delivery on Lily's birthday. The sales slip was dated for the Sunday morning Sebastian flew back to New York after his screen test with Lily.

Lily reread the bill and smiled to herself. He couldn't be that mad at her when he left and still be this thoughtful. Could he? But, then again, he always was the better person. Maybe it was just a convenience to set up the delivery before he left. After all, he was in LA and had just seen her. Of course, it was that simple. Convenience or not, Lily didn't care. She forgot her other presents and took her roses to the kitchen to put them in water, before she met Angela and some friends for a birthday ladies' lunch.

Lily picked at leftover birthday cake for a late afternoon snack. The caterers from the night before had packed a to-go box for her and it was the perfect punctuation to a cocktail lunch with her girlfriends for her actual birthday. On the kitchen island, Sebastian's roses stood in a crystal vase, popping against the white cabinets and stainless steel appliances. Lily admired them, as she scraped a lump of icing off her plate and licked it from her fork. The scent of the blooms was overtaking the kitchen and it made her smile. She knew she had to thank him, but wasn't sure what to say.

'Thank you' sounded too simple. It worked well for itself every other day, but it seemed a little feeble now. The quiet that had been going on between them made her feel like the little phrase wasn't doing enough. At the same time, she worried that saying too much could be just as awkward. When her agent called, vibrating her cell phone along the kitchen counter, Lily was happy for the interruption. She took the call, depositing her dishes in the sink and leaving the roses on display in the kitchen.

She didn't go back to the kitchen until later that night. As soon as she snapped on the lights, her eyes fell on her roses and she remembered what she'd been putting off. With a soft groan of frustration with herself, Lily sat down on one of the stools on the far side of the island. Resting her chin in her palm, she stared at the flowers, waiting for inspiration to come. A few times, she picked up her phone to call Sebastian, but couldn't manage to get her finger to tap the 'call' button. Lily figured she probably didn't have the guts to actually speak to him, afraid she'd clam up or fumble too badly.

Lily needed some air; air that didn't smell like roses. She traded flowers for the faint scent of chlorine, settling down at the edge of the pool with her bare feet in the water and her phone in her hands. Lily opened up a blank email, scrolling through her contacts to dig up Sebastian's email address. She went through several versions of her draft before she bit down on her lip and hit send.

[Dear Seb,

First and foremost, thank you for the roses! They're gorgeous. And a special wink for the champagne. 

I heard that the studio sent you the offer for Pete. Congratulations! I wanted to write you, as a fellow thespian (and one with considerable more time in this business *cough* and, therefore, wisdom- yeah! That's it!) to encourage you to take the part. As your pain in the ass bestie, I'm writing to tell you- Nay! To _demand_ , that you accept the part.

We both know you deserve an opportunity like this. I've begun to think this wasn't meant for me- it was written for you. You already know this guy. Pete is the best and worst of Jack and TJ. No one else could give him life like you could.

I know you have other projects coming up. I understand how busy things are about to get for you. That's the downside of this job- not having enough time for everything. But I'm hoping you'll give this one a serious look. We could push to shuffle your scenes to the front of the shoot and you'll be off the set with time to spare. It could work and I'd be more than happy to lend my skills of persuasion/uncanny ability to be "difficult" to help work this out, if that's the hitch what would keep you from signing on.

This probably sounds like I'm peer pressuring you into this one. Which I'm not, because that would be awful. Unless it's working, in which case, I'm a little proud of myself.

In all seriousness, please consider this project. Nothing would thrill me more than to be able to make a movie with my best friend. I need something to remind me of the good times, when we were young and pretty and "somebodies", when I'm old and forgotten in my nursing home. How 'bout it, Bas?

And thank you again for the roses and booze and helping me have a happy birthday!

My best- always,

Lily]

She didn't expect a fast response to the email. At this point, Lily was just hoping for any reply at all. A little acknowledgment that he'd gotten it or an actual crafted reply; anything would do to say he was still talking to her. When she turned off the light and climbed into bed for the night, she tried not to hold it against him that she still had no new emails. When she was pulled back from the edge of sleep by the chime of a text message, she was stumped for what to do. She stared at the message preview until the lock screen blacked out.

Seb: Happy bday Benny. I miss you [11:17 pm]


	35. Chapter 35

Lily illuminated the screen of her phone again, checking the time. It was almost 2:30 in the morning in New York. She chewed on the inside of her lip, wondering what could have him awake so late on a Sunday night in his end of the world. The phone blacked out in her palm again and Lily fell back into her pillow. Lily swallowed down the lump in her throat and unlocked her phone, tapping open the message from Sebastian. He would have seen the read receipt and she found a little bravery in the moment to reply.

Lily: Thank you, dear<3

She almost regretted the heart emoji, but went on, thinking it could be overlooked if she sent the next message fast enough.

Lily: It's late there. You need your beauty sleep

Seb: Not tired

She frowned that her attempt at a joke seemed to go unnoticed or ignored. Lily drew a blank on how to proceed. She watched the screen, wondering if he was going to say anything else. When the glow from the phone dimmed, warning her it was going to time out, Lily went for broke, typing a message, sending it as fast as she could so she didn't chicken out, and closing her eyes to wait.

Lily: I miss you too

Waiting wasn't her strong suit, tonight. Lily's foot tapped nervously against the side of her heel under the covers. She blew out an anxious breath through puffed out cheeks and shook her head, staring up at the ceiling and muttering a question of what she was doing. Her phone chimed again, after a long couple of minutes, and her gaze snapped down to the glowing screen in the dark.

Seb: I'm sorry 

Lily: Me too

There was another gap between messages. Lily sat up, slouched against her headboard. She bit at her thumbnail, occasionally touching the screen to keep it active.

Seb: Were you sleeping?

Lily didn't mind telling the little white lie that she wasn't. It wasn't much of a stretch, anyway. Almost asleep wasn't really close enough to count. Her heart took off racing at his next question.

Seb: Is he there?

She shouldn't have been surprised he knew about Alex. You'd have to be blind to miss their picture on the Internet and tabloid magazine covers lately. Lily took a deep breath, relieved to not be lying when she typed 'no' again. A lull passed, though Lily saw her reply had been read immediately.

Seb: Seems like a good guy

Lily: He is.

She somehow hated admitting it. It reminded her how she hadn't really given Alex her full attention, like he deserved. Maybe it was just the topic in general. Lily knew this wasn't the same old "life in general" talk about what they were doing lately or who they were dating, like they used to have. Lily didn't get the feeling he was asking because he was casually interested in what she was up to. 

Seb: I got your email. Glad you liked the flowers

She smiled, pleased for the subject change and eager to see if he'd say anything about the movie.

Lily: They're beautiful :)

She gave him just a moment, before asking if he had made a decision about accepting the role.

Lily: Any thoughts about the offer?

The ellipses came and went, showing her Sebastian had started to write and maybe changed his mind about continuing or changed his answer. Lily bit at her nail again, while the bubble reappeared on screen and she waited.

Seb: Thinking about it. I've got other things I'm already committed to. 

Seb: I don't know

She frowned as she told him she knew he had a busy end of the year coming and she understood. 

Lily: But I still think this could be big for you.

Seb: I'm thinking about it

Lily: No pressure. Just saying I think it'd be fun. Here's our chance to make a movie together like we talked

Seb: I know

Her phone was quiet again. She considered, after another pair of minutes, that this was one of those unspoken ends of a text conversation. She didn't know what else to say, not wanting to come off as needling him about the offer. They had already skimmed over her birthday and his endearing gift. What else was there to talk about?

Seb: Still there?

Lily: Always

Lily was startled by the sound of her ring tone breaking the silence of her room. She didn't hesitate to answer, though.

"Yes, dear?"

"Why are you still up?" Sebastian teased. "Don't you need your beauty sleep?"

Lily bit the corner of her lip and smiled. "Some asshole keeps texting me."

"The nerve," Sebastian grumbled, playing along and Lily smiled shyly at the small snort she heard at the end.

"What's got you up so late over there, anyway, my little night owl?" Lily wondered. 

"You know what they say," he started, with a kind of shrug in his voice, "it's the city that never sleeps."

"At 2:30 in the morning on a Sunday, they ain't lyin'," she chuckled.

From his end of the line, Lily heard him snuffle a laugh and it was quiet for a moment.

"Can I ask you something, Lil?" Sebastian checked.

"Of course. Anything," she assured him. "You know that."

He paused a beat before asking, "Are you happy?"

The question threw her off and Lily's mouth slacked, without an answer. She blinked, with a sweep of her head to recover. Lily was a little ashamed she didn't spit out a 'yes', or anything else, right away.

"Well, yeah," she managed, knowing it was coming a little late and without a lot of conviction.

...

Sebastian ran his hand through his hair, his wrist twisting along the way as his head lolled toward his shoulder. He exhaled slowly, nodding to himself at her answer. It didn't necessarily sound convincing, but then it was late, he was tired, and his assessment maybe wasn't as accurate as it could be, after a late dinner and drinks with friends and a couple of beers at home. It's not like he was in a position to judge, anyway. 

He flashed a brief grin, lifting his chin in acknowledgement of the petite blonde walking down the hallway in his t-shirt and probably nothing else. She gave him a small wave, seeing him on the phone, on her way to the kitchen. While Sebastian listened to Lily fumble a complaint about it being a ridiculous question to ask, he heard a couple of cupboard doors open and close from the kitchen and he turned in his seat on the couch to rest his elbows back on his knees.

"You don't sound too confident," he told Lily and he snorted, softly, at hearing her awkward titter on the other end of the line.

Sebastian's eyes followed his guest for the night, as she disappeared down the hall toward the bedroom with a glass of water, as Lily said, "I'm happy. ...Just wasn't expecting that question."

"What were you expecting?"

"I don't know, really," she admitted, with a deflecting laugh. "Maybe something a little more philosophical for the middle of the night."

Sebastian rubbed the side of his finger against his chin. "How about this then," he offered. "Does he make you happy?"

He expected the delay this time. Sebastian knew he was feeling a little bold after the evening's libations and he knew it might be the only reason he had the balls to push the issue. The gentle stammer he heard, before her real answer, tugged a crooked smile into the corner of his mouth.

"We just- I already told you, yes," Lily said.

"Okay," he nodded to himself.

"You didn't believe me?" Lily asked, sounding a bit defensive.

"They were two different questions," Sebastian told her.

"Were they?" she doubted.

"Yeah," he assured her.

"What's the difference?" Lily pressed.

"In one," Sebastian began to explain, pressing a fingertip down on the edge of the coffee table until the force was too much and his finger snapped downward, "you tell me if life is treating you well." He repeated the distracted maneuver on the table edge, with the same result. "In the other, you tell me if he is."

Lily didn't have a fast response for him. Sebastian imagined an offended expression on her face. When she spoke up again, the tone of her voice suited what he pictured.

"I said philosophical, not personal."

He snorted quietly, his head bobbing once at how right he was. "It's never been taboo before," he pointed out, snapping his finger down one last time.

"Yeah, well, things are different know, aren't they?" she grumbled and he sank back into the couch.

Sebastian nestled his head on top of the couch cushion, kicking up a foot onto the coffee table. "You want me to apologize?"

"It wouldn't be sincere, if you did," Lily decided.

"No, probably not," he conceded, with a half-smile. 

"Did you call me just to criticize my love life?" she pointedly asked.

Scratching at his forehead and closing his eyes, he told her, "I'm not criticizing. I just wanted to know how you are."

"That's not what you wanted to hear," Lily told him and he heard the scowl in her voice. 

"What do I want to hear then?" he baited her.

"Whether or not he's better than you."

Sebastian frowned, thoughtfully. She hit the nail on the head, not that he was making much of an attempt to disguise his motive. He tapped the beer bottle on the table with the side of his big toe to hear it rattle and confirm he'd drank the last of it before he called Lily. 

"Is he?" Sebastian asked.

...

Why was he doing this to her, she wondered. Wincing into her palm, her elbow digging uncomfortably into the side of her knee under the pressure of her shaking head, as she sat cross legged in bed. Lily figured he knew what he was doing. It was like he was twisting a knife in her gut just to make her squirm. 

"You're two different people," Lily settled on. "There's no comparison to be made."

"None?" Sebastian doubted.

"What do you want to hear?" Lily sighed, softly, a little aggravated. "Do you want me to tell you about where we go and what we do? You want to hear which side of the bed he prefers? His pet names for me? What is it?"

"Not really," Sebastian admitted, sounding a little bored.

"Then tell me," she griped, gesturing a helpless hand out into the darkness of her room, "because I don't know what the hell you want."

"Just you, Lil."

"Dammit, Seb," Lily breathed out, crushing her eyes closed and massaging a pair of fingertips into the frustrated wrinkle in the center of her brow. "Why are you doing this?"

She didn't know why talking to him, in the dark of her room, about Alex made her uncomfortable. It was almost a guilt, like somehow she was cheating.

"Because I love you, Lil," Sebastian said, earnest and quiet, almost a whisper. There was a pause, before he went on. "Because if it's not going to be me, then I want to know that he's good enough for you."

"It's not up to you," she quietly reminded him.

...

"A guy can't be concerned for his friend?" he threw out, a shrug in his voice that sounded remarkably casual.

"But you're not, are you?" she challenged. "You're just looking for a flaw, something to pick on, to try and piss me off or something, but you can't because he's a good man. He's kind and good to me, we have things in common, and, I hate to disappoint you, but yes, spending time with him does make me happy."

Sebastian dropped his head, with a tired shake. Wiping a hand down his face, he tipped his eyes up to stare up at the ceiling for a quiet moment. The aggravation in her voice was unmistakable and he thought, if he pushed anymore, she might hang up.

Sebastian sighed, before he said, "I don't like fighting with you."

"We're not fighting," she told him, sounding somewhat resigned herself.

"Then I don't like being mean to each other," Sebastian corrected, turning his head slowly in his hand so his fingers rubbed across his brow.

"You're never mean to me," Lily assured him. "You're just...too honest for me, sometimes."

"Seems like I'm not enough of anything for you," he put out there, raising his head again and letting his hand fall limply to hang over his leg.

He heard her sigh on the other end of the line. "You've always been plenty for me," Lily admitted. "Just...in another way. You- You're just supposed to be my best friend. ...I don't know what I'd do if it went wrong and I lost you."

"I'm sorry things changed," Sebastian told her.

...

It was quiet for a moment. Lily bit at her nail again, shaking her head. She sighed, laying back and twisting to curl up on her side.

"No, you're not," she said. "Would you really be happy, if you hadn't said anything?" The silence from his end was her answer. "You don't swallow things down. It'd have eaten you alive."

"Maybe," he allowed.

Lily tugged the corner of her pillow a little further down under her cheek, holding it a little tighter. "He's not you," she admitted, as resigned as she felt. "Nobody else is. ...But he's here now." She bit her lip before she conceded, "You'll always be my favorite person in the world. You know that, right?"

"Yeah." Sebastian seemed to understand it was the best she could do. After a moment, he said, "It's late, Lil. I won't keep you."

"Good night," she offered, a little brighter than she'd been speaking a moment ago.

"G'night."


	36. Chapter 36

Lilian hated herself in the morning. She had had a semi-restless sleep, replaying parts of her conversation with Sebastian over in her head; criticizing herself and thinking of things she should have said differently or should have said at all. Lily realized, it was the perfect opportunity to confess that she wasn't as happy as she should be with Alex. On paper, he was everything anyone could want. But, for Lily, he was a stand-in; an understudy. He just wasn't Sebastian. Lily knew she should be grateful to have someone care about her the way Alex did. But she couldn't help but wonder if Sebastian couldn't do it better. 

She invited Angela over for lunch. They ate in the kitchen, chatting about Angela's daughter and things in general. Angela was working from home after having the baby. She brought her laptop along with her, occasionally inspired to type out a few lines or a paragraph while Lily was tending the stir-fry on the stovetop. When all the usual niceties and bullshit were finished, Lily brought up Sebastian.

"So, you'll never guess who texted me last night," Lily broached the topic. She had to talk to someone. It was eating her up inside.

"Sebastian Stan," Angela said, knocking out the last few words of her thought on her keyboard.

"How'd you know?" Lily chuckled, shaking her head.

"It was your birthday, duh. And because he's one of only a handful of people who would text you that I'd be interested to hear about lately," Angela explained. "Unless DiCaprio is finally asking about me."

"Not yet," Lily said, wagging up her brow, "but I'll keep you posted." She turned back to her cooking. "It was kind of a weird conversation."

Angela smirked. "Did he drunk dial you?"

"Kinda. I think."

Angela sat up straight, snapping her gaze over to Lily. Her eyes widened and she gasped, "I love when he drunk dials." She waved an excited hand at Lily. "What was it this time? Was he out doing shit faced karaoke again? Oh, my god, I need a night of shit faced karaoke again."

Lily smiled, shaking her head. "No," she said, a little disappointed herself. "He was at home, I think. It was quiet."

"Shit," Angela frowned. She pointed at Lily, looking inspired and hopeful. "Next time he's in town, it's on."

"It's on," Lily promised. She paused for a moment, letting the previous subject clear from the air. "No, we started out messaging about my birthday and work. I heard he got the first offer to costar with me, the other day. I sent him an email about it and thanking him for my birthday flowers."

"What'd you get?" Angela asked.

Lily inclined her head to the bouquet of roses still on the kitchen island. She preferred them there. The room got a lot of light and they looked amazing in the sun. She loved the smell of the blooms when she came in first thing in the morning. They would have looked good anywhere in the house and, she could admit, the kitchen was kind of an odd place to display them, but she passed in and out of there more than probably any other room in the house and she enjoyed seeing them that much.

"Beautiful," Angela noted, with an approving pout.

"And a mini bottle of champagne," Lily added.

"Of course," Angela gestured. "That's our boy." Lily snorted, with a shy sweep of her head. "What else did the text message have?"

Lily took a deep breath. "Well," she began, "it was flowers and work and then he asked about Alex."

"That sneaky son of a bitch," Angela breathed, leaning onto her folded arms, eager to hear more.

"Something like that," Lily nodded. "He asked if he was here with me- Which he wasn't. Then he asked if I was happy and then did Alex make me happy."

"Nooo," Angela gaped. "What did you tell him?"

"That I was," Lily shrugged.

"Boo. You whore."

Lily's mouth fell open, in laughing offense. "Excuse me?"

"Pfft," Angela tutted, waving a displeased hand at Lily. "You're a dirty liar and you know it."

"I am not," Lily insisted, still shaking off her surprised amusement, as she turned off the burner on the stove. "I _am_ happy. And Alex does make me happy."

"As happy as you can be when you're in love with someone else," Angela muttered, folding her arms on the marble topped island again. "Okay, to be fair, Alex is a nice guy. He's fun. Boy, is he pretty. He treats you well and is very likable. Gimme a little while and I could probably get to love him with you. Everybody deserves a nice guy like that." She raised a finger to make a point. "But, Sebastian Stan, though." 

Lily set a bowl of Chinese food down in front of Angela and perched herself on the stool beside her friend. "Is that it? What does that even mean?"

"It _means_ ," Angela began, "that everything Alex is, Sebastian is more. Alex is pretty? Sebastian is- Jesus Christ, do I need to explain? If Alex is a good time, Seb is a riot. I mean, they're both smart, funny, have good careers and their own money, so it's not about that. They're both, overall, are the complete package. But he doesn't get the same smile out you that Seb does. It took years for Sebastian to get to know you so well and understand what makes you tick." She pointed at the roses, with the chopsticks in her hand. "Do you really want to wait around and see if Alex learns just as well, when you can enjoy all that now?"

"It's more complicated than that," Lily said, pushing around the food in her bowl. "How do you just trade one for the other? Like you said, they're both great. It's not Alex's fault he's only known me for such a short time. Is it fair to hold that against him?"

"Okay, no," Angela conceded. "It's not fair or that simple. I'll give you that. And I can admit, I have a favorite. But I'd be a shit friend if I didn't play Devil's advocate here, and you know it." Lily nodded. "Do the list," Angela suggested. "We know what's right, so tell me what's wrong with Alex."

Lily's eyes widened with the thought. " _Wrong_ with him?" she parroted. "Hell, Ang, I don't know." Lily shook her head, mulling it over, as she chewed, and trying to figure out why she was felling defensive. "I don't know that we've been together to say anything is 'wrong', you know? Alex is so good, has a big heart. He's kind, uncomplicated, he lives here, for god's sake. It's just- It makes sense. It's easy with him."

"Maybe it is a bit early," Angela mused. "You're still supposed to be in that doe eyed, honeymoon phase, right?"

Lily snorted. "Something like that."

It was quiet for a minute as they ate, before Angela pressed, "Stop me if I'm wrong, but are you really telling me, Alex is just convenient?"

Lily shrugged, with a small pout. "Maybe. ...No. I don't know," she quietly complained. "What if he turns out to be just as good as Sebastian?"

Angela smiled, shaking her head and holding up a finger for Lily to wait until she finished chewing. "I know, playing favorites," Angela swallowed and preemptively excused herself, "but consider this, that I've never seen Alex look at you the way Sebastian did that night at Pour Vous."

"And how's that?" Lily smirked. "With bleary eyes?"

"Like everything beautiful in the heavens is on earth, standing right in front of him," Angela said, decidedly. Lily ducked her head, feeling a soft heat pass through her cheeks at what she took to be quite an exaggeration. "I mean it," Angela assured her, giving Lily a gentle shove in the arm. "Ride it out with Alex, or anyone else you meet. I don't doubt that Alex would love you and do his absolute best to make you happy, or that you'll find someone else who would do the same and that you will be _some_ version of happy. But you'll always be the love of Seb's life and, I'm willing to bet, Sebastian Stan will always be the love of yours, Lil."

"He is pretty wonderful," Lily admitted and sighed.

"Sounds like there's a 'but' at the end of that," Angela pointed out.

Lily nodded. "You asked me what was wrong with Alex, but what about with him?"

"What about him?" Angela invited.

"For one," Lily noted, raising her brow thoughtfully, "he lives in New York. He doesn't want to come out here. Christ, it's like he was born there, the way he's attached. Alex is here, in LA, now."

"That's the best you can do?" Angela teased. "Are you kidding? You've got more money than a televangelist knows what to do with. You could buy a plane and fly back and forth to New York, everyday, for a quickie, if you wanted to. And that you don't already, frankly, is just lazy."

Lily laughed and Angela sputtered, unable to keep a straight face. "You're ridiculous," Lily shook her head.

Angela nodded, using the food in her mouth as a delay to regain her composure. "In all seriousness, Lil," she said, "don't write him off, just because he's on another coast. There's nothing that says you can't work from New York and no proof that he wouldn't leave for you. Summer in New York and winter in LA, right? Does it really matter, anyway, where the mail goes? Home isn't a place with all your things. When you're in love, it's in another person's heart. I love everything about my life here; my friends, my whole family is here, the house, my job. But at the end of the day, if Jeff had to relocate to another office somewhere, it wouldn't matter, because he and that little rug rat are my home. That's all you really need to be happy, Lil."

"The thing is," Lily worried, "what would happen to us when it all goes wrong? Nobody ever stays, Ang."

The question seemed to be a little more profound than Angela was prepared for and she blinked, taking a moment to put down her utensils before answering. "I don't know, babe," she admitted. 

"It's-" Lily stopped, her eyes dropping to her food in a blank stare. "What if we couldn't be friends? ...That scares the hell out of me, Ang."

Angela soothing rubbed a hand across Lily's shoulders. "I know, sweetie," she nodded.

Lily was stretched out by the poolside. Soaking up sun in her chaise, with the music from her iPod in the sound dock on the table next to her, she was enjoying a leisurely Friday afternoon. There were no meetings or obligations begging for her attention until Monday and Lily was reveling in the quietness of having a long weekend to herself. Alex was out of town for a few days and Lily was consciously taking a break from the nightlife and her more rowdy friends, after the string of articles that had been floating around about her exaggerated partying since her return to LA. She decided her publicist deserved a break and was toying with the idea of suing a couple persistent magazines for libel to get them to back off.

The roses Sebastian sent her for her birthday had begun to droop and she had taken to snipping off petals that were beginning to turn. It was inevitable, but Lily was doing her best to keep the flowers a little longer. There was probably some comedic and tragic metaphor to be made about the dying bouquet and their strained friendship, but Lily didn't have the stomach to think on it too long.

She barely heard the chime of her phone, announcing a new email's arrival, over the sound of her music. Lily checked her phone, tipping her sunglasses up onto her forehead to read the message.

[To: Lily Benjamin  
From: Jason Reitman  
Subject: casting update 

Hi Lily. Just wanted to let you know, we've got Sebastian Stan for _Words Fail_. Just got the news this afternoon. Also, good news from Sean Mallory, Olivia Greer, and Michael O'Leary. 

We've got a couple tentative schedules for preproduction (wardrobe, etc.) ready. Those should be over to you on Monday. Take a look and let- ]

Lily stopped reading. She had already read the only thing that mattered in the four paragraph message. And she read it again, just to be sure she wasn't imagining things. 

[we've got Sebastian Stan for _Words Fail_.]

Lily was stuck for a long moment. She should be ecstatic at the news that her best friend was starring in a movie with her. But all the absurdities she'd played out in her mind before all came back at once. Reasons the movie would fail, ways they wouldn't get along, things that would make working together awkward.

"No. Stop it," she scolded herself, shaking her head.

Lily bit her lip in concentration, tapping the reply button.

[To: Jason Reitman  
From: Lily Benjamin  
Subject: RE: casting update

Wonderful! Glad to hear we got everyone. 

I'll keep an eye out for those schedules.

Thanks,

Lily]

She hit send and stared at her phone. Still in her email, it would be easy to send off a quick note to Sebastian. If the studio had just found out today, that meant he still had the contract to review or haggle over. Even if there was nothing he wanted to negotiate in the offer, it'd still go through his people before he actually signed it. Lily debated waiting until it was "official". Until the studio made the announcement, there was still the chance he could change his mind. She'd never known him to back out of a project he committed to, but she didn't want to be the jinx that made an old adage true. Lily locked and set aside her phone.

Schedule outlines for her new film arrived late Monday morning. Lily sat down with Jessica, weaving the dates into her calendar. Over lunch, they shuffled and rescheduled her days to sync with the studio's rough outline for filming. She had a few weeks before shooting began. The story was largely set in Portland. Shooting would take place between there and a few suitable stand-in locations in Vancouver. Lily liked the idea of not having to travel too far from home for this production. It meant it wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience to go home for a couple days here and there, if she wanted.

The email about Sebastian accepting the role was the last Lily heard about the matter. She got through the weekend without calling or messaging him about it and he had, apparently, done the same. After their odd little phone call for her birthday, maybe he had decided to back off and give her space. The thought left an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, but Lily also considered he maybe had found something else to occupy his free time.

What she could say with certainty was that her career had notched another achievement. Lily had been nominated for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And the news that she had been selected came from part of her management team over drinks that afternoon. Lily met her agent, Carolyn, and her new manager, Will, at the Library Bar inside The Redbury. Over champagne they went over the details of a rushed dedication. A few events coincided this year.

Lily was 33. She had been nominated for her academy award at age 9, but had been 8 during filming of her first motion picture. She'd been at it for 25 years now. Fox Studios had made the nomination, anteing up the thirty grand fee. They were the studio behind her first film and the one she had done the most work with over the years. Lily had wrapped her most recent film with them, prior to going to New York. It was set to premier next month and, with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce selecting Lily, they were pushing to tie her 25 years, the premier, and the star's dedication together in a PR event to top them all. Lily was already promised into promotion work for her film. The press she could pull for the project and herself was almost incalculable, if they pulled it off. Her team had already floated a couple of dates out for the dedication, squeezing it in between her promo tour and the preproduction of Words Fail. It was crazy, but it could also work. 

Lily gave her approval to move forward, knowing overbooked stints like this were rare and, despite being exhausting, paid dividends in the end. Her people would let her know whatever agreement they could broker between the studio and the COC. They anticipated settling details by the end of the week.


	37. Chapter 37

News of Lily's Walk of Fame selection broke with the evening entertainment news shows. Monday nights aren't exactly notorious for getting papped, but once word got around that Lily was spotted at Bar Marmont having dinner and drinks with friends, Monday night was as busy for flashbulbs as a Friday. The practically painted on little black dress Lily wore essentially guaranteed front page real estate in the morning on the internet gossip sites, the instant she slid out of the SUV with Alex.  With Alex back in town and Lily's reason to celebrate, the couple and her handful of closest friends were hounded from Sunset to Boardner's on Cherokee Avenue, where the couches in the corner of the patio were cleared out for the group for the night.

Lily and her friends danced and drank, listening to songs from the 80s and laughing the night away. She didn't pay much mind to being the center of attention. Lily ignored the onlookers and photo sneaks, leaving Drew and Brandon to maintain everyone's personal space and enjoying her time with her friends. They closed down the bar, ending the night at Alex's beachfront home. By four in the morning, Lily was curled into Alex, passed out from the night's frivolitites.

The sun was sparkling across the rolling waters of the Pacific, by the time Lily woke. Alex was still sound asleep when Lily's phone chimed on the bedside table. It was after 9 in the morning when she pulled on a pair of shorts from the small stash of her clothes that had accumulated in Alex's dressing room, stealing one of his hooded sweatshirts. Up to read the message from Jessica, reminding her of a dress fitting that afternoon for her movie premier next month, Lily nursed a little hair of the dog, mixing a mimosa from the last of the opened bottles of champagne left on the counter. Sunglasses shielded her tired eyes in the brightness of the morning light, while she sipped her cocktail from a ceramic mug with her feet in the sand at the bottom of the steps to Alex's house.

She wasn't motivated to bother to check her caller ID, opting instead to answer blindly when her phone rang from the pocket of Alex's commandeered sweatshirt. Putting the phone to her ear and leaning her head into the railing, with a tired, "Hello?"

"Well, if it isn't America's Sweetheart herself. Good morning."

Lily needed a drink before she replied, "Good morning, little Romanian prince."

"Surprised you're up this early," Sebastian told her.

"Barely," Lily admitted, using the bottom edge of her mug to push her sunglasses a little higher on the bridge of her nose.

"Yeah, saw you're still pretending you're 21 and able to keep up with the kids," he snorted.

"Oh, good," she sarcastically smiled. "For a moment I thought I'd get away with no one calling me to shame me for my life choices first thing in the morning. Thank god for you."

"I'm always happy to help," Sebastian threw back, without missing a beat.

"Did you really call me at-" Lily pulled the phone away from her ear to squint over the top of her sunglasses at the time on her screen. "9:oh-8 on a Tuesday to give me shit?"

"No," he chuckled.

...

Sebastian tapped his spoon a few times on the top of his mug, before dropping it in the sink. He sipped down his coffee, before carefully walking the nearly overfilled mug toward the living room. 

"I was calling to congratulate you," he explained, stopping on his way to thumb through yesterday's pile of mail on the corner of the dining table. "Saw that you, and your LBD plastered over every inch of the Internet this morning, are getting a star."

"Sorry about that," Lily said, with a wince in her voice.

"I'm not," he shrugged to himself, easing down to sit on the couch. "And neither is any other guy age 18 to 80."

"You dirty old man," she called him.

Sebastian snorted, a wry smile pulling back the side of his mouth. "Eh, you like it." He heard a snicker he knew she didn't want to let out, going on to say, "But seriously, congratulations, Lil. That's amazing."

"They're reminding me I'm old," Lily complained. "They're pushing for a fast dedication, doing this tie-in for my next premier and making a big deal outta me doing this shit for 25 years."

"If it were shit," he considered, "they wouldn't give you a star. Do you know where they're putting you yet? Who your neighbors are going to be?"

"Nah," she didn't seem too interested. "Not yet. Kinda don't care."

"Why not?" he asked.

...

Lily sighed and dropped her shoulders from a halfhearted shrug. _Because I'm 33 and there's only a couple good years left in me before they start casting me as the wife or mom instead of the girlfriend/sexy single. Because my mom won't see it. Because she won't be there to tell me if I deserve it- because I don't know if I do._

"I don't know," Lily shrugged. "Guess I'm just not awake yet. Things'll look brighter in the morning, right?"

"The sun came up hours ago for you," he reminded her.

"Yeah," she realized, with a frown at the shimmering water. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Gym," he answered. "Hey, what's your deal? Sounds like your out somewhere. Thought I woke you up."

Lily took a moment to answer, eyeing the last of her mimosa in her cup and finishing it fast, before saying, "I'm outside."

...

"Waaait a minute," Sebastian nodded, figuring it out just before his mug reached his lips. "That's right. He's got a house on the beach in Malibu, doesn't he? That's the noise I hear."

"He has a name," Lily reminded him.

"So do lots of people," he pointed out, taking his next sip noisily.

"Don't be a brat," she scolded. 

"It's Alex," Sebastian sneered, although he doubted the sound of it conveyed his expression sufficiently. 

The thought of her waking up in Malibu pissed him off a little. He knew he had no right to be mad or jealous about it. If they were going to be able to still be friends, friends didn't think that way. But knowing that she was with him last night and at his place this morning left a sour taste in Sebastian's mouth. He looked at the coffee in his hand and set it aside. 

"Don't say it like that," she told him.

"What?" he shrugged. "I'm just letting you know I know his-"

"You're being an ass," she informed him. 

...

Lily put her empty cup on the stair beside her and combed her fingers back into her hair, scratching her fingernails soothingly into her scalp. She was waiting to hear an apology of some kind, but there wasn't one. There was just a dead air on the line for a few seconds. Lily rolled her eyes and let out an aggravated sigh.

"So, I heard you took the part," she mentioned, her tone not quite completely conversational again.

"Yeah," he said. "Figured, what the hell."

Lily shook her head at the casual answer, thinking it a bit out of place, considering, "This could be big for you, you know."

"Could be something, sure," Sebastian less than enthusiastically agreed.

"It'd kill you to be a little excited," she scoffed, wiggling her toes under the sand. "Bas, this could put you in a whole new category. Like, career changing."

"I didn't take the part for my career," he corrected.

...

"You're not just bored and picking things for the money, are you?" Lily teased.

Sebastian slid back, exhaling as he eased into the couch cushion. He raked a hand into his hair, fisting it and giving it a small tug in frustration. _Fuck_.

_I did it because I want to see you again; to have an excuse to see you everyday. Because I need to try and fix you and me. Because I miss you._

"No, you're right," he begrudgingly agreed. "This could change things."

He frowned, realizing he'd left his mug out of reach on the coffee table. Sebastian didn't have the will to sit up and grab it. Instead, he stared at it, his mouth pulled disapprovingly to the side that using The Force wasn't a real thing, while Lily spoke.

...

"You don't sound excited about it," Lily frowned, carefully raising her foot and watching how much sand she could keep there until her leg was straight and she flicked it off. She bit her lip, hoping, "Don't you still want to make a movie with me?"

"I do. I am," he told her. "We are, aren't we?"

"Obviously," she agreed, still worrying her lip, as she tried to figure out what his problem was. She expected more from him. "I just- I guess, it sounded like so much more fun in New York."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she winced. Lily realized it could be interpreted in a few different ways. Not that she was exactly clear which way she meant it. Did she come off sounding disappointed by the project? Was she needling him too much about his own lack of enthusiasm? Lily dropped her forehead into her palm, scratching her fingers into her hair.

"A lot of things were more fun in New York," he said, rather flatly, without much of a tone to guide her with.

She combed her fingers through her hair, twisting it around for her hand to hold on the side of her neck in the breeze and tipping her head over to rest on the railing again. "We're going to be stuck together for awhile," she pointed out. "Is this going to be alright?"

...

Sebastian gave in, sitting up to grab his coffee. He needed it now, although he wished it were something stronger in the mug.

"It's going to be great, Lil," he told her, ahead of a drink.

"That sounded a little more convincing," Lily chuckled, softly.

"Hey, listen, I'm gonna be late." It wasn't completely true, but he figured he should go before he made another misstep in the conversation. "I'll see you at the table read. I gotta go."

"Be good, Bas," she told him.

An involuntary smile pulled into the side of his mouth. "You too, Lil."

...

"There you are."

Lily lifted her head, twisting around to see Alex coming down the steps behind her. With a comfortable groan and smile, he sat down a step above her, his knees splayed to her sides. Lily returned his smile, reclining back into him and setting her arms along the tops of his thighs.

"Good morning, baby," he said, the sound turning into a mumble as he spoke the words into a kiss in her hair.

"Hello," she smiled, tilting her head into his shoulder.

Alex cocked his head, his cheek resting on Lily's forehead when she nuzzled into his neck. "What are you up to this morning?"

"Got a message and a phone call," she told him. "Didn't want to wake you."

"Good news, I hope?" Alex wondered.

Lily hummed a positive reply, comforted by Alex folding his arms around her shoulders. "Casting's finalized," she nodded.

"Oh, yeah?" he seemed to light up, raising his head to look down at her.

"Probably get the schedules nailed down soon," she theorized, looking up at him with another nod.

Alex's smile beamed. "That is good news," he agreed. "Who'd they get for 'Pete'?"

Lily turned her gaze to the water. The move was subtle and not noteworthy. She figured Alex didn't pick up on the discomfort she felt to look him in the eye, when she told him, "Sebastian Stan."

"Oh, no shit," Alex marveled. "That should be interesting."

"What do you mean by that?" she casually asked.

Alex shrugged. "Nothing," he frowned, thoughtfully. "Just, he's you're friend, isn't he?" Lily nodded and he added, "It's always easier when you can relate to your costar, makes it fun. Besides, I caught that miniseries he did, Political Animals, or something like that, awhile back. He'd make a helluva a 'Pete'. He's way underrated."

Lily smiled at the compliments for Sebastian, but they only made her feel more awkward. She hummed again, gaze still pointed over the ocean. It was quiet for a few peaceful minutes.

"Hey," Alex spoke up, with a gentle nudge of her shoulder. "You hungry? Let me get the kitchen cleaned up and we'll eat some breakfast. I'm starved."

"Sounds good," she smiled, pulling her arms back to herself, as Alex stood up.

She put her hands in his, when he reached down to help pull her to her feet. Lily dipped to pick up her empty cup and Alex pecked a kiss to her cheek on her way up the stairs ahead of him. He followed her back inside, shutting the door behind them and going to the refrigerator to see what was for breakfast.


	38. Chapter 38

Lily didn't hear hear anything more from Sebastian in the following weeks, but she did hear from her team. Fox had made their push and arrangements were made for Lily's dedication at the end of August. The ceremony tied in with the premier week events for Lily's latest film release, a political thriller about a morally conflicted analyst working for corrupt officials in a not-too-distant future dystopian government and with some heavy hitter costars. The star would be laid just days after the LA weekend opening. Lily's agent had woven everything together and around her preproduction requirements for her next project. 

In the lead up to her busy week, Lily met with her stylist, trying on dresses for her movie premier and star ceremony. It took an afternoon, but Lily narrowed down her selections for each appearance and Jessica juggled final fittings into her star's busy schedule. For her new film, the studio sent out appointment dates and times for wardrobe tests and table reads. Lily and Alex were still the darlings of Los Angeles tabloid media, dogged by popping flashbulbs into and out of a romantic dinner downtown and the talk of the red carpet at a screening of the latest Woody Allen offering. 

When it was time for Lily to head over to the Sony lot for her first appointment for her film, she was anxious. She sat in her car in the driveway, staring at the closed gate across her driveway. Her index finger tapped on the steering wheel, while she tried to rationalize why she was so nervous. It was just a costume test. She'd done dozens of them in her career. It shouldn't be a big deal. But Sebastian would be there. It said so in the notes to the wadrobe department that were part of the email she'd gotten. She shook her head and pressed the remote to open her gate. She muttered a curse to scold herself, as she put the sports car in gear to leave. It didn't matter that he would be there. He hadn't called about the screen test. She shouldn't have been surprised there wasn't a call about the fitting either.

The walk from the parking lot to Wardrobe was only a few dozen yards, but it was long enough for Lily to recognize the dampness in her palms and the fluttering in her stomach. She stepped aside, just outside of the building, taking a deep breath and tucking the casual flyaways of her hair behind her ears. Steeling herself, for what she didn't know, Lily pushed up her designer sunglasses to sit on top of her head and pulled open the lobby door. 

Upstairs, she dropped her purse from her shoulder to her hand, reaching out to set it on a dressing table with one hand and to meet her seamster halfway to a handshake with the other. Her costumer, Troy, was already prepared for her arrival, directing her over to a rack of clothing with everything from sleepwear to wedding gowns. Lily parted hangers aside, taking a few quick looks at pieces that caught her attention, while Troy glossed over some of the notes and ideas they had about "Emma's" style for the film. She was introduced to the photographer and his assistant and the seamstress, Katelyn, who was helping Troy that morning. 

Lily passed on the offer for a beverage and they got to work. Lily was sent into a dressing room with Katelyn and a small armful of outfits to start with. Coming back out of the dressing area, Lily heard the door to the studio close and looked up from adjusting the folded sleeve of her shirt. Sebastian flashed her a thin grin. It may have widened to a full smile, if he hadn't been intercepted by his own tailor. Troy beckoned Lily to stand in front of the plain backdrop set up for the stills, giving her a once over. Lily watched Sebastian across the room, as he nodded and listened to his wadrober talking and Troy fussed with Lily's hair.

Lily lined up for the photographs of her perspective costume and Sebastian disappeared around a corner. She didn't see him for several more minutes. Lily was into her third outfit, waiting for Troy to set a couple pins in the waist of her dress to give it a more fitted appearance. She was a little smaller than her first measurements had been. Sebastian was being photographed in his first outfit of the morning. He caught sight of Lily from the side of his eye, turning his head to smile at her, before he fluffed his hair and pulled a grey sweater overhead, in between the photographer's flashes. It was the kind of smile she hadn't gotten from him the last few times she saw him, playful and bright, and it put her at ease. 

When it was time for his costume change, he went to Lily, with a humble press of his lips together. He paused on his way to kiss Lily's left cheek, his left hand coming across her to lightly smooth back along the curve of her waist. "Hi, Lil," he softly said, not waiting for a reply, as his tailor pointed him back to his changing room. Lily was a little shied by his greeting.

Lily was adjusted for the next round of photos and she chewed on the inside of her lip to keep the small grin from her mouth. As she was sent back for the next change, Sebastian was coming back to the set. That was the routine for the next half hour, turning to side by each other past the lighting rigs or as the other came out their door of the changing rooms. Lily felt a little ridiculous when she stepped out in a vintage styled, ankle length wedding dress with a Queen Anne neckline and lace sleeves. 

Sebastian stood aside, hands stuffed in the pockets of his gray tuxedo pants. He watched, with an amused smile, while Lily used Katelyn's shoulder for balance while the assistant costumer traded and buckled the straps of a different pair of shoes Troy preferred with the dress. The photographer snapped a few pics of Lily and Sebastian took her place for his own stills. Lily waited out of frame, until the photographer called her back in to stand beside Sebastian and see how the looks matched.

The camera flashed and Sebastian, quipped, "Think of the money we'll save. In ten years we can just hang these on the wall instead of hiring a photographer."

Lily couldn't keep a straight face, sputtering into a giggle and elbowing Sebastian. "Behave," she quietly told him.

Sebastian snickered and finished the next pair of photos without comment. He wagged his brow up at Lily, as he stepped around her to change into his next outfit. The wedding wadrobe test was done once more with Sebastian and a third time with Lily alone. Sebastian tested in a traditional black tux and Lily in a pair of more modern A-line gowns. The rest of the outfits were a mix of casual everyday and a few dressier looks to carry them through several different time periods on the film. When it was all over, Lily found Sebastian leaned against the passenger side of her car at the curb near the Wardobe department.

"You scratch it, you buy it," she playfully warned, pressing the unlock button on her keys to chirp the alarm.

Sebastian stood up, looking back at the car behind him. "I don't even want to know what this thing would set me back," he shook his head, his brow rising high and smile tugging to one side. "What is this, the GranTourismo?"

Lily proudly hummed her answer, stopping at the front of her car to lean the side of her leg into the front quarter panel. "2016," she nodded. "And she'll cost you about 165."

Sebastian let out a low, impressed whistle. "Fuck me," he marveled, running his eyes down the length of the Masserati's body.

"How'd you know it was me?" she had to ask.

"Nobody else in Wardobe today has the discretionary income for toys like this," he smirked.

"Worth every penny. Zero to 60 in 4.7," Lily bragged. "Carbon fiber hood. 4.7 liter V8 by Ferrari. You should hear her purr."

His expression sobered, as his gaze snapped back to her, and he deadpanned, "You have no idea how hot it is to hear you talk like that."

"Oh, Seb," she sighed. "You need a girl."

He shrugged, a fiendish smile tugging up the corner of his mouth. "I'm entertaining offers," he wagged up his brow.

Lily regretted her dark sunglasses hiding her heavy eye roll. "We're not doing this already, are we?" she groaned.

His smile turned playful and he promised, "That was funny, Lil. Calm down."

Lily tutted, adjusting her lean and folding her arms. She shook her head. "You didn't call again," she pointed out.

"Yeah, well," he shrugged, panning his gaze up and across the treetops swaying in the breeze. "What for? You knew I'd be around eventually. Besides," he added, half a beat's pause passing as he shifted his attention back to her, "wouldn't want to upset your boyfriend."

"Really?" Lily begged, sounding a little bored and cocking her head at him.

"Lighten up, Lil," he frowned. "It's a joke. I'm not gonna start any trouble. I'm just here to work."

"I didn't say-"

"You're dating what's-his-face," he nodded, going on. "You two look very pretty, all put together on your pap walks; very happy." He held up his empty hands. "I'm happy for you."

Lily tipped off of her car, all but stomping around the hood to the driver's door, disapproving of his sarcastic tone and not playing whatever little game he was starting. "You're an ass," she pointedly told him, pulling open her door, annoyed he couldn't go five minutes without starting something.

Sebastian clasped his hands together and rested his forearms onto the roof of the car, a subtle smirk on his lips. "What do you get all pissy for whenever we talk about him?"

Lily stopped, straightening up from putting her purse in the car. She pointed a finger over the roof at Sebastian, practically growling, " _We_ don't talk about him. _You_ dig at him, being a smart ass and sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong. And now, your little comment, like we're some...PR stunt." She withdrew her hand, changing her mind about getting in the car and standing back up to remind him, "His name is Alex and you know that."

"I know," he nodded, still smirking.

"So, use his name then," she snapped, "instead of carrying on like he's not real. Grow up, Seb."

"I am very aware of how real he is," Sebastian told her. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Lily opened her mouth to scold him again, but closed it, frustrated. She slammed her door shut and marched back around the car. Sebastian took his arms off the roof, turning to face her and looking up and down her as she scuffed to a stop in front of him. He nonchalantly stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans, as she raised a finger to his face.

"I'm not going to do this with you every day," she hotly promised. "We had our chance when you-"

"When I what?" he scoffed, with a coughed laugh and a gesturing hand away. "When I turned you down for throwing yourself at me when we're three sheets to the wind?" Lily huffed, readying a comeback, but he went on. "Yeah," Sebastian nodded, tightly. "Because that's how I pictured you and me getting together. A couple 'a sloppy drunks fucking in your kitchen."

"I tried to talk to you," she argued, "but you-"

"Nobody was talking, Lil," he corrected and quirked up an eyebrow. "Not with your tongue in my mouth and mine in yours."

Lily was fuming, a little embarrassed and definitely insulted. "You think you're so smart," she sneered. "But you're too busy feeling sorry for yourself, because I said 'no' back in New York, so now you think you get to-"

"Get to what?" Sebastian sarcastically interrupted, raising and dropping a hand limply in question. "Watch you parade around with your 'I do all my own stunts' boy toy?"

"Stop it," she frowned.

"What?" he shrugged. 

"Stop trying to piss me off," she spat.

"I'm not trying to," Sebastian assured her. "I'm just a little worried about you is all."

"Yeah, right," Lily muttered, an incredulous smirk on her lips. "What the hell for? I've got maybe my best Oscar worthy project yet, a guy who's good to me, a star on the Walk of Fame. Everything's coming up roses. So, why would you worry?"

"You just-" He paused, biting at his lip before going on. "You look a little run down." Lily huffed and he imagined her eye roll behind her dark shades. He put up a calming hand, to ease the impact of what he was trying to say. "You just look...a little tired, maybe. The paps are right, this time, Lil. You're looking kinda-"

"Are you-?" Lily choked and grimaced. "Are you really listening to _them_?" She coughed out an insulted laugh, throwing her hand out at no one. "Are you really taking their side?"

"I'm only on your side, Lil," he promised, his brow peaking with sincerity. 

"Then why would you say something like that?" she asked, a wounded wrinkle coming to the center of her brow above her sunglasses.

The expression hit Sebastian in the gut. "Because it's _true_ , Lil," he said, earnestly. Lily's head dropped back and he insisted, "Look, Lil, you know I wouldn't say something if I didn't think that-"

"If you didn't think that maybe it was a way to get in between me and Alex," she snipped. 

"Oh, for fuck's sake," he grumbled. "Come off it, Lilian." He raked his eyes up and down her. "Not everything is about you and me or you and Alex. I'm saying this as your friend. You _do_  look a little thin and you _are_ showing up in the paps a lot; going out, making a lot of events between you and Alex. Maybe you need a little break; some rest before filming starts. And if neither of you is seeing it, maybe I _have_ to say something because nobody else is taking care of you."

"You are infuriating," she seethed. Lily turned on her heel to go. At the front of her car, she stopped and jabbed a finger back at him. "You never listen. And now  _this_?! I'm fine!"

"I'm listening, Lil," he assured her. "You're just not making a convincing argument."

"You don't get to judge me," she warned him.

His tone backed down, watching her go back to the driver's door and mentioning, "You're not smiling as much, anymore."

Lily stopped, staring back at him over the roof of her car, her lips parted but silent. She let out an aggravated groan, yanking her car door open again and dropping heavily inside. She started the engine, catching Sebatian take a step back from the corner of her eye. She didn't bother with the seatbelt. It'd only delay her escape. Lily checked her mirror and turned over her shoulder to back out of her space. She didn't give him a second look, as she drove away.

Sebastian stood there, still for a moment, before he groaned and shook his head. He wasn't necessarily proud of himself for making her angry, but he had to say something. Seeing her in person proved what the gossip mags had been dancing around about Lily spreading herself too thin. He knew she couldn't be completely mad at him, because he was right about her smile lately. Given a little time, she'd see it, too. He saw the frustration at herself, seeing her wanting to say something to him that she didn't. He didn't know for certain what it was, but he was strangely hopeful watching her leave the lot.


	39. Chapter 39

Lily washed off her aggravation with Sebastian, with a dip in her pool. After a refreshing swim, she floated around on a fluorescent colored raft, listening to the music from her iPod docked poolside. With the sun warming her skin and drying her hair, Lily replayed her scene with Sebastian in the parking lot, seeing where deliveries went wrong and she should have put in a line or two about her feelings for him. Instead, she groaned at letting him irritate her by bringing up Alex in that snarky way he had, for bringing up the criticizing headlines about her, and for him reminding her about smiling again.

Turning over on the raft, she considered that maybe it didn't matter. She still had Alex. Well mannered, affectionate, and kind; she should be happy with what she had. Especially if Sebastian was going to be such a brat about it all. Alex didn't give her shit about anything she did or didn't do, didn't needle her about how and with whom she spent her time, and never complained she didn't smile enough. Sebastian definitely didn't win any extra points today.

Sufficiently pruned and slipping off the side of the raft, Lily swam her way to the end of the pool. Wringing her hair on the way up the steps and smoothing the edges of her bikini bottoms. She wrapped a towel around her waist, sitting down on a chaise beside the water to check her phone.

Seb: Busy? [3:17 pm]

Seb: Ignoring me? [3:44 pm]

Seb: Come on Benny. Quit pouting [3:58 pm]

Seb: B [4:04 pm]

Seb: E [4:04 pm]

Seb: N [4:04 pm]

Seb: N [4:04 pm]

Seb: Y [4:05 pm]

Seb: Lilian Marie Benjamin pay attention to me this instant!!! [4:07 pm]

Seb: Bennybennybenny [4:13 pm]

Lily wanted to still be mad. But his last messages, spelling out and calling her name in an obnoxious ploy for her attention, were surprisingly adorable. She could practically hear his voice when she read them. She shook her head and checked the time. 4:26. She knew the read stamp was visible on his end of the conversation now, so she felt compelled to answer.

Lily: OMG What?

When there wasn't a reply before her screen dimmed and locked, Lily put aside her phone and stretched out on her lounger, opening her towel to dry in the sun and soft breeze. Her music played on and it wasn't until several minutes later that she caught the chime of a new message. Lily peeked over the tops of her sunglasses to read the note from Sebastian.

Seb: I'm hungry

Lily snorted, rereading the brief text. She shook her head and opened the browser on her phone. She searched for a list of top rated restaurants in Los Angeles, copied the link, and sent it over to Sebastian.

Seb: Okay. Which one will you be at?

The question actually made her bark out a laugh, shaking her head as she typed.

Lily: None

Seb: Do people not eat out here? LA is weird

Lily: I'm not going to dinner with you

She shook her head again, resolute in her decision, but she couldn't shake the amused smirk from her lips.

Seb: If we wait and do breakfast people will talk

Lily: Not breakfast either

...

Sebastian snorted, tickled by her stubbornness. His amusement was nothing compared to the accomplishment he felt at having her finally reply to his messages, though.

Seb: There's only so many meals in the day, Benny. You'll have to pick one

He slouched down comfortably in the arm chair of his hotel room. He had a view of the Hollywood hills and was cocked sideways across the chair, his right leg crossed over his knee and pointed into the back of the cushion. Sebastian took a drink off his bottle of Perrier, while he waited to see if she'd bite.

Lily: I don't have to pick any

"Ahh, you're no fun," he mumbled to his phone, a smirk pulling back one side of his mouth. "Fine then..."

Seb: Fine then. I'll pick. Lunch it is

...

"Oh, rrreally?" Lily muttered, tapping her thumbs on her keyboard immediately.

Lily: I'm busy

"Take that," she proudly huffed.

The fact that she wasn't actually busy was her secret. She wasn't going to just cave to some charming text messages. Lily hadn't forgotten her frustrations from earlier and thought he deserved some punishment for it. It wasn't mature, by any means, but it made her feel better for the jabs he took at her. Maybe she was looking a little run down lately. Maybe she had lost some weight. But hearing it from him, too, wasn't helping matters. She stressed herself out just fine on her own. Lily wasn't ready to hear it from him right now.

Seb: Brunch. Tea. Night cap. Linner?

Lily: I'm disappointed in you. No second breakfast?

Seb: You fucking nerd

Lily laughed out loud. She giggled behind her hand at the followup message he sent. He was making it hard to stay mad at him.

Seb: For you- yes. Second breakfast is available for booking as well

Lily hummed to herself, in a moment of contemplation, debating how long to torment him.

...

Lily: Lunch

"Gotcha," he nodded, smugly.

Seb: Thought you were "busy" ???

Lily: I do what I want

Seb: Ain't that the truth;)

Lily: I can also change my mind...

"Well, shit," he grumbled.

Seb: Don't be cruel, Lilian.

"Take that," he said, with a cocky raise of his eyebrow. "Yeah, proper name. You know you're in trouble."

When she sent back the middle finger emoji, Sebastian couldn't stop the spit take that followed. He set his sparking water down on the table beside him and wiped at his chin, turning over his phone to drag it down and dry it on the side of his pant leg.

...

Seb: Nothin but class, Lil. Nothin but class

Lily snickered, scrolling through her emojis to find the one blowing a kiss. She sent it out and followed it up with another note.

Lily: You coming or not?

She was proud of herself, but the moment was short lived; cut off by his winking smiley face and the single word reply, 'phrasing'. Lily felt a soft heat rise in her cheeks and her smile puckered tightly at the insinuation he made.

Lily: You're not right. You know that?

Seb: Can't be that wrong if you keep talking to me. What does that say about you anyway? Hmmm??

Lily: That you've ruined me

Seb: Phrasing

"Oh, for fucks sake," she tutted, still trying to resist her smile.

Lily: Oh for fuck's sake. Stop it

Seb: ;)

Seb: Tomorrow. Noon. Let's go to Culina

Lily: Fine. Whatever

Seb: That's my girl. See you then

Lily shook her head, with a smile. She couldn't avoid him, even if she wanted to. She opened up the calendar on her phone and set a reminder for the lunch. Putting aside her phone, Lily settled back into her chaise, with a contented sigh. That was fun.

Lily met Sebastian at the restaurant. He had arrived just before her and the hostess led her back to their table. Lily wore a grin on her way across the patio, despite the nervousness she felt in her gut that he might have some more criticism to offer. Sebastian looked up, put aside his menu, and scooted back to stand from his seat. He wasn't fast enough to pull out her chair, but Lily waved him off anyway. The hostess wished them a pleasant meal and left to go back to her station.

"You actually came," Sebastian smirked, taking up his menu again.

"Phrasing," Lily coyly chided him, smiling when he peeked over the top of his menu at her.

"You're in a better mood today," he noted, going back to his perusal. "They get that house that fell on your sister off of her or somethin'?"

Lily smiled, running her eyes over the appetizer selection instead of looking up. "Already making me regret coming," she tutted. "That might be a new record."

"We should really stop saying 'coming'," he suggested. "It's getting distracting."

"Jesus," Lily groaned, shaking her head, while Sebastian's shoulders shook with a suppressed, and mischievous, laugh.

Sebastian moved on, seamlessly. "They changed the menu," he pointed out. "They don't have that baked pasta thing you like."

Lily checked over the list for herself. "Huh," she breathed out. "Damn."

"Bet they'd make it, if you asked," he theorized. "It is _you_ , after all."

Lily chuckled, her brow raised at the prospect. "They might."

Lily began to relax, with the way the conversation was going. The waitress came over and took their drink orders. They both made a selection from the cocktail menu and Sebastian added an order of ricciola to share before their meal. They chatted over the menu, deciding what to eat by the time the waitress returned from the bar with their drinks.

Taking a sip off his Royal Smile, Sebastian stared at Lily until her gaze finished wandering over the succulent wall and back to him. Lily was a bit shied by the attention and he grinned warmly at the faint blush he saw pass over her cheeks. She made busy with a taste of her own drink and he started the conversation again.

"So, I got a call from your publicist," Sebastian mentioned.

Lily perked up. "Really? Why?"

A playful smirk came to his lips. "They want me to speak at your dedication for the Walk of Fame."

Lily blinked. It was the first she was hearing of it. She tried to recover and not let on her surprise at not being in the loop of her own ceremony. "Oh. That."

"Listen to you," he laughed, waving a hand out at her, as he reclined into the back of his chair. "Oh. That," he parroted and shook his head. "How are you always so indifferent to all your good fortune, Benny?"

"Well," she shrugged, smoothing her napkin in her lap for something else to look at besides his crinkled eyes. "It's the studio's thing." She looped her hand through the air, dismissively. "You know, they front the money and it's a big PR to-do and-"

"It's you're name, in a star, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, forever," Sebastian explained, leaning up into his arm on the edge of the table. "It doesn't matter who nominates you, Lil. It's that you're chosen."

The warmth came back to her cheeks, for a different reason. She would feel almost scolded, if it weren't for the proud look he gave her and the insistence in his tone telling her she deserved it. He was always a fan as much as a friend.

"I know," she shyly agreed.

"Then get excited about it," he urged, gesturing his open hands to her. "Christ, Lil, you know how many actors will go their whole career and never get a drop of what you have? Enjoy it! You worked for that star, not the studio. They're riding _your_ coat tails." He pointed a finger at her. "Don't forget that."

"Always my cheerleader, huh?" she giggled.

"God damn right," Sebastian nodded, firmly, and sat back again. "And you better start listening before I climb up on this table and shout it."

"Please don't," she laughingly worried. "Our entrees aren't here yet and I'd like to finish eating before they kick us out."

"Fine," he pretended to sulk, before tapping his finger into the tabletop for emphasis. "But you better get excited about this star business or, I swear to god, I will make a spectacle of myself."

Lily nodded her agreement. "Fine," she snickered. Sebastian nodded again and their amusement subsided. Lily circled back to the point of the whole conversation, asking, "So...are you going to do it?"

Sebastian swallowed the drink in his mouth and his eyes watched his hand, carefully setting the glass back on the table. "Do you want me to?" he checked, sounding a little apprehensive.

Lily inhaled, with a thoughtful pout. "I didn't know it was up to me."

"I wouldn't do anything you didn't want me to, Lil," he solemnly assured her. "I told them I'd check my schedule and get back to them."

She hummed her reply, with a subtle nod. Her next question came slowly. "Do you want to?"

"It'd be hard to find anything complimentary to say, really," he shrugged, "but I could try, I s'pose."

His sarcasm caused Lily's hestitant frown to break into a smile. The sight made Sebastian smile back and chuckle. His head dropped and shook, when Lily gently kicked him under the table and called him an asshole.

Sebastian flashed her an easy smile, pulling his eyes back up to hers. "Truth is," he began to admit, "there's plenty of room in my calendar for it. It'd be an honor."

"Then it'd be my honor to have you speak," she consented, with a humble grin and bashful tint in her cheeks.

"I'll tell them I'll do it, then," he nodded once, picking up his glass to toast her.

"Just don't make me cry or anything," she warned, before taking her own sip.

"Never," he promised.


	40. Chapter 40

Lily was impressed by how well behaved Sebastian was for the rest of their lunch. They talked about the costume tests, trading jokes and notes about outfits. They wondered about the rewrites the screenplay had gotten from the original she was sent to read, both agreeing that too much more fiddling with the script could break the tempo of the film. Sebastian told her he was in town for one more day. He left the door open to see her again, mentioning dinner that night with his friends and telling her she should join them, to pay back her kindness from Pour Vous the last time they were all together. The disappointed way his face fell, when she told him she had plans already, twisted her gut and she bit her lip to show her own disappointment. She figured he knew she meant she had plans with Alex. Lily was relieved when he didn't extend the offer to anyone else to join them just to get her to come. It would just be too awkward.

Leaving the restaurant, Sebastian gave Lily a hug and kissed the air beside her cheek. When he stepped back, he told her, "I'm not trying to make any trouble here, Benny, but just think about what I said yesterday, okay? Maybe just take a couple days on the beach at his place and lay low for a bit, sleep in and relax. I'm just sayin'."

Lily nodded, with a sheepish grin. "I know. Thanks." Sebastian turned to go, but only got a couple steps away, before Lily spoke up. "Seb?"

"Yeah, Benny," he said, coming back and giving her a warm smile, seeing her hesitate.

"He's a good man," Lily told him, twisting the ring on her hand with her thumb for a distraction. "Alex," she felt the need to clarify. "He takes care of me. He- ...It's not his fault I'm," she shrugged, "maybe a little bit of a mess...like people say." Lily bit at her lip. "He tries, but I-"

"I know, Lil," Sebastian nodded. He put a hand on her arm, with a gentle squeeze. "You're okay. You just need a break."

"Yeah," she quietly agreed. "Take a couple days and lay low."

"Okay," Sebastian smiled, a little proud of her for seeming to listen to him. He touched his hand to her arm again, adding, "I'm glad we got to have lunch today. Keep a morning clear for me when I come back and we'll do second breakfast."

Lily cracked a smile again. Watching him, as he started to leave again, she called after him, "Nerd."

Sebastian turned around for a few steps, his smile wide and finger pointed her way. "I learned it from watching you," he argued.

Lily waved him away and headed to the end of the lobby doors to the valet stand. She smiled, shaking her head to herself. The grin stayed with her, while she waited for her car to be brought around, making it easy to entertain a couple autograph requests from some passerbys going into the hotel. 

Sebastian left town, quietly, having just enough time to steal his lunch with Lily and tidy up some last minute changes to the paperwork for his deal to be her costar. He didn't give Lilian anymore grief during his brief stay. Instead, he sent her a simple text message, from the airport, saying he would see her when preproduction started in August.

For her part, Lily had kept her reply short, wishing him a safe trip and she'd see him soon. She was happy to see him go without another messy conversation or spat between them, since that afternoon outside of Wardrobe. She wondered if maybe he had turned over a new leaf. Several days later, when she was taking Sebastian's advice and hiding out at Alex's place for a few days, Angela sent her a link to a blind item and followed it up with a link to a celebrity gossip page. Lily understood the change in him then.

The blind item, dated a couple of weeks ago, teased info on a "foreign born B list rising film star" who "went to the apartment of a foreign born model after a late night singing karaoke with friends". The notes were almost vague enough, but the second link confirmed suspicions, when several photos appeared on Lily's phone of Sebastian holding open a New York bistro's door for a petite blonde to walk through and of them having lunch there a couple of days ago. The blurb beneath the photos identified her as 'Swedish born model, Gabriella Holm'. It made sense to Lily then why he'd gone from needling to polite. If Lily was still attached to Alex, Sebastian wasn't going to wait around and pine for her, not when there was a gorgeous girl on hand in his town. Maybe their spat in front of Wardrobe was his last attempt.

Angela was tied up at the pediatrician's office when she had stumbled across the gossip and put Lily in the know. Never the less, she messaged back and forth about it with Lily. Lily assured her, there were no hard feelings. After all, she was dating Alex, not Sebastian. What he did with his time and with whom was none of her business, if he didn't share it with her himself. There wasn't much more Lily could say about the story. She closed the links out of the browser on her phone and decided, if she heard anything from Sebastian about it, she would be happy for him. 

In the meantime, Lily went to the Fox Studios lot to meet with the execs behind her nomination for the Walk of Fame. They discussed plans for the press tour for her soon to be released film and outlined the ceremony for her dedication. They had lined up a few of her previous costars and friends in the business to make presentations. She found out her star was going in front of the TCL Chinese Theater, to sit amongst Hollywood royalty. Lily wasn't sure her filmography was worthy of such prime real estate, but the studio was thrilled and she smiled along.

August breezed by, making a couple appearances with Alex and hosting a fundraiser to support women's shelters. Before she knew it, her press week was about to begin and her star dedication was just around the corner. Jessica went over the fine points of her itinerary for the week, during Lily's final fittings for her press and premier ensembles. Her new film opened Wednesday night in LA. The day before, she would be in front of the cameras doing junket interviews. Lily would travel privately to New York with Alex, an entourage of her management, and Drew and his team on Thursday morning for more press and her movie premier that night. She would be back on a plane first thing Friday morning to make it back home for her Walk of Fame ceremony at 3. The week was hectic and left no time to visit anyone she knew in New York. She got invitations to a handful of friends to attend the show with her, as a way to sneak in some socializing. Oddly enough, Sebastian wouldn't be there. His agent had him flying out to California on Thursday, to take a meeting with another studio before his appearance for Lily.

Junkets were old hand for Lily. Her smile may as well have been glued to her face for the day she did her rounds of interviews. She was welcoming and cordial to everyone, shaking hands and thanking journalists for their time. Her handlers were pleased, the interviewers got what they wanted, and Lily was rewarded with praise from everyone. Lily worked the red carpet for everything it was worth, just like the studio wanted. She met all of her press obligations and stunned the cameras in a strapless red dress from Louis Viton that hugged her figure and pooled at her heels. Alex, dressed in his black Burberry three-piece and red tie, was by her side, with his hand at the small of her back or in hers the whole time, gushing over Lily when he was pulled into interviews along the press line or admiring her with an adoring smile when he wasn't. They were perfect together.

To get to New York on time for the next round of promotions, Lily was at the private airfield well before the sun rose. Lily had made her appearance at the film's after party. She left straight from the party to the airport, stopping just long enough on the way to change clothes and pick up luggage. Lily curled up in her seat, under a blanket and nuzzled onto Alex's shoulder, to sleep on the flight. Touched down in New York, Lily and her group were chauffeured to the Waldorf. She freshened up, had a quick bite to eat, and was rushed off to make a pair of stops on morning shows. Alex stayed behind, while Drew and Ami got Lily, Jessica, and her publicist to the show studios.

With the morning appearances and a few phone interviews finished, Lily pulled an extra pillow over her eyes and shut herself away in her hotel bedroom to try and catch a little more sleep. It wasn't hard for her to doze off, while Alex stepped out for lunch with a couple friends he had in the city. She woke up to him climbing into bed to lay beside her, planting a lingering kiss on her head to rouse her, and Lily smiled. When he reached behind him and showed her a takeout box with a slice of cheesecake he'd brought her from lunch in it, she laughed.

Lily had barely finished her treat when the groomer doing her hair and makeup for the premier knocked on the door. She scrolled through her messages and social media while the stylist worked her magic. Lily posted a mirror selfie, tucked into a hotel robe and with her hair pinned in large rollers, while her artist brushed at her cheek. The photo was an instant hit and she felt a flash of heat come into her cheeks when she looked back later and saw Sebastian had liked it as well. Changing into her dress for the evening, Lily had tossed her phone aside on the bed. When she got back to it, a string of messages had the warmth rising in her face again.

Seb: How the hell are YOU in NY and I'm in fucking LA?? Hope you're keeping the rollers in your hair for the carpet [4:32 pm]

Seb: Got a text from Eddie. The wife saw your insta. She said to tell u he's in the kitchen in the village tonight if ur hungry later and u have a table anytime [4:32 pm]

Seb: Enjoy your premier. Sorry I'm missing it. See you tomorrow Ms Walk Of Fame [4:35 pm]

Lily smiled at her phone. She tapped open her Instagram app and looked up Eddie's restaurant. There were a couple new, mouthwatering photos of beautifully presented menu items from the last week. Lily looked up the hours for the restaurant for the night, biting at the inside of her lip while she calculated when she might be able to get away from her premier. She called into the living room of her suite, where Jessica, Alex, and the others were killing time. Jessica came into the bedroom, to answer her.

Lily handed her phone to her assistant, telling Jessica, "See if we can get a table for 9 tonight at 11."

Jessica nodded, already dialing the number on the screen. Lily made her entrance into the living room, checking the delicate diamond studded bracelet on her wrist. Her entourage was ready to go and the limousine was waiting downstairs. Jessica caught up, a minute later. Drew and Ami led the way to the elevators and Alex escorted Lily down the hall, with his arm around her waist. As they went, Lily gave Jessica a short list of names she wanted to come with her to Eddie's for a late dinner, if they could. Jessica made a note in her phone, while they waited for the elevator to come.

At the theater, the road was closed down on 65th and Broadway, to accommodate the crowd and arrivals for the premier at Alice Tully Hall. Drew opened the limo door, with a watchful eye over the nearby crowds, for Alex to step out. Alex turned back toward the car, with a thankful wave to the fans on the street who screamed for his arrival, knowing Lily wasn't far behind him. Alex offered his hand to guide Lily out. Emerging from the limousine, Lily brought the throngs of fans to a fever pitch. 

Lily turned to face her public, waving gracefully, with a warm smile. Photographers' flashes dotted her vision and Drew leaned into her ear to direct her, giving a gesture of his hand, toward the gated area near the sidewalk where fans were gathered for autographs. Alex joined her, signing his name and smiling for selfies, as Lily did, much to the wild appreaciation of the admirers who'd likely camped out all day or longer. Drew and Ami kept grabbing hands away from Lily and Brandon was on hand to keep an eye on Alex. As usual, Drew moved Lily along, with a steady hand at her back. 

Lily worked the crowd for all the time her organizers gave her, before Drew leaned in again, this time, to pass along that she was wanted for the press line. With her arm linked with Alex's, Lily moved on to the red carpet. She traded hugs and kisses with her costars and execs, in front of the cameras. Lily struck her poses, showing of the sparkling embellishments that lined the low scoop of her backless couture, giving her signature smolder alone and smiling in Alex's arm. She met all of her press obligations and was ushered inside for a cocktail, hugging more acquaintances and stealing selfies, before the crowded lobby filed out for the screening.

When the viewing was over, Lily made her rounds at the after party, with strict instructions for Jessica to mind the time and for Drew to be ready to leave by 10:30. Lily and her entourage slipped away on time, heading to Eddie's Greenwich Village restaurant. On the drive over, Lily sang the praises of Eddie's kitchen skills, prodding Drew to second her opinion from his seat next to the limo driver. Arriving at the restaurant just a couple minutes before 11, Lily was thrilled to see most of her friend's had made it and were already seated at her table. With the reservation in Jessica's name, no one knew Lily was coming and there was no fuss with paparazzi at the door. Lily had Drew and his guys fill in at the empty space at the table and managed to squeeze in a couple more chairs. As Alex was scooting in Lily's chair behind her, the waitress let them know the kitchen was closing in 30 minutes and Lily asked her to send the owner out.

A few minutes later, Eddie appeared from the kitchen doors, wiping his hands on a towel. His face lit up when he spotted Lily and her group, saying, "I thought they were kidding. You've got to be so busy on this trip. I didn't think you'd actually come." He waved across the table, saying, "Hello. Welcome!"

Lily stood up to greet him, meeting Eddie for a quick hug at the end of their table. "I heard I had a table any time," she smiled. "I thought I'd test out the theory."

"Oh, Sebastian got ahold of you. Great! Yeah," Eddie enthusiastically agreed. "Of course! Anytime. Man, I wish the wife was here. She'll be sorry she missed you."

"Call her, if she's still up," Lily urged. "I know we're getting here a bit late, but we went to see a movie first and..."

Lily shrugged and Eddie laughed, gesturing a hand out to reference everyone's designer wear. "Yeah, just a bunch of friends out for a low key Friday night at the movies," he chuckled. "Yeah, I heard. Congratulations on the new movie. The wife was saying she wanted to try and go see it on Sunday."

"I should've had you guys come to the premier," Lily realized, with a frown. "I didn't even think about it."

Eddie waved her off. "Nah, don't worry about it," he assured her. He pulled out Lily's chair for her to sit, adding, "You guys order whatever you want. I'll give the wife a call. I bet she doesn't even take time to change out of her pajamas."

Well into a couple of bottles of wine for the table, with appetizers and entrees ordered, Lily's corner of the restaurant was the center of attention. Drew and the boys passed on their meals, opting to linger near the doors to the restaurant. It hadn't taken long for other diners to notice Lily and Alex. She and her friends noticeably exceeded the usual business wear styling of the regular crowd and the beautiful faces of Liander were unmistakeable. Before midnight, a few photographers had begun to gather on the sidewalk outside, peering in windows to see if they could get a shot. It was about the same time that Lisa made it to the restaurant. Drew recognized her coming in the front door and took her back to Lily.

Lisa let out an excited noise, when Lily put her napkin aside and stood to greet her. They exchanged a hug and Lily named names around the table to introduce Lisa. Women loved Alex and Lily suspected Lisa wouldn't be any different. She saved his introduction for last. Ever the gentleman, Alex stood and took Lisa's hand. Lily smiled at the flush she saw come to Lisa's cheeks. Lisa excused herself to let Eddie know she made it and Lily invited her to take one of the seats vacated by her security when she came back.

The dining room began to thin out. When the bar closed at 1 a.m., signaling the end of business, no one had really taken notice. Food kept coming from the kitchen, while Lily and her friends chatted the night away with Lisa and Eddie, when he could be spared from the kitchen. At the end of the night, it was Lily and Alex left at the table with Jessica, Lisa, and Eddie. The others had parted ways and Eddie's staff was down to the bare essentials to clean and close up. He insisted Lily and her group stay as long as they wanted, bringing out several unsold desserts for everyone to enjoy. Most everyone left with their bill paid. Eddie refused payment from Lily for herself and her remaining entourage, only relenting after Lily's argument that she couldn't do anything less than pay for the drinks. Otherwise, according to Eddie, her money was no good there. He even sent away Drew and his staff with dinner and dessert.

Lily was thrilled to have spent part of the evening with Eddie and Lisa. She loved everything that Eddie brought out for her to sample. They had Lily's promise that she would come by whenever she was in New York and Alex's that he was going to tell all of his friends about the restaurant, as well. Lily had a photo taken with her friends and Eddie all crowded into frame around the table, on one of Eddie's trips from the kitchen, and posted it to her Instagram page. Her fans sent thousands of likes and comments for Lily's personal moment she shared. Eddie's Village restaurant saw a bump in followers. Lily suspected, he'd see a bump in reservations soon, as well.

"They seem like really great people," Alex noted, on the ride back to the hotel.

Lily hummed and nodded, with a smile. "They are," she agreed.

"How do you know them?" he asked, sweeping his thumb absentmindedly over the back of Lily's hand in his lap. "You must go there whenever you're in town, to get treated like that."

Lily's stomach did a nervous flip and she cleared her throat gently before she answered, "Actually, that's the first time. We have a mutual friend. When I was here for 'Streetcar' last winter, we all stayed out at their house in Montauk together, after the show closed."

Alex was quiet for a moment, before he seemed to recall something and breathed out, "Ohh, that's right. I remember seeing some pics of you guys, somewhere. I thought I might have seen them somewhere before." He thought for a second, wondering aloud. "Who else was in those?" He pointed up front to Drew. "I remember seeing you in some," he told him and Drew nodded, but didn't fill in the blank for him.

"Sebastian Stan," Lily added, a tone softer than she'd spoken before.

"Was it?" Alex tried to remember, before he shrugged. "Well, you would know," he chuckled. Lily was unexplainably relieved, when Alex went on, saying, "Dinner was phenomenal. I can't believe no one's told me about that place. I have _got_ to let my friends know. I know one guy, who thinks he's kind of a foodie, he'd love that place."

The conversation steered away from dinner to the morning's hectic travel schedule. Back at the hotel, Lily's security detail saw her to her door. Drew reminded her to be ready by 8:30 to get to the airport on time, before he left. Lily and Alex did a bit of packing, before retiring for the night. As she relaxed into the mattress and curled up next to Alex for the night, Lily was happy to have seen Eddie and Lisa. The meal couldn't be beaten and the whole evening couldn't have gone better. But she didn't quite feel right, being at the restaurant without Sebastian. They were his friends, in his town, and he wasn't even in the same time zone. She felt like she'd stolen something from him.

In the morning, the frenzy of the week was catching up with Lily. She hugged the large cup of Starbucks Jessica had got for her like it were a life preserver. It was empty by the time she boarded her private jet back to Los Angeles, but the flight attendant had more to offer. The plane took off just before 10 in the morning. Alex fell back to sleep, about an hour after take off. The coffee worked a little too well. Even for the exhaustion Lily felt, she couldn't sleep. Lily folded herself up into the end of the couch along the fuselage, while Drew and Jessica watched a movie on Jessica's laptop and Ami and Brandon napped in their own seats. Lily scrolled through her phone, looking at a few pictures she took with her phone. She stopped on a selfie of her with Eddie and Lisa. She smiled, adding it into a text for Sebastian.

Lily: Found this little restaurant in NYC you might like...

The flight attendant came by with the blanket Lily had asked for. Lily was pleasantly surprised to hear her phone chime, as she tucked herself into the corner of the couch. Checking her phone, she smiled again. She didn't really expect a reply so soon.

...

Sebastian inched up to prop himself up on the pillows of his hotel room bed. He looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand beside him. At 6:37 in the morning, he was surprised he'd slept so late. By now, he'd be going to the gym, if he were home. He figured he must have needed the rest and started typing back to Lily.

Seb: Tell me you tried the tiramisu

Seb: It's literally a crime if you didn't

Lily: It was wonderful! I think it was my favorite:)

Seb: Nobody does it better

Seb: Sorry I missed it

Lily: If I'd known, I'd have brought you a piece home :(

Seb: That's ok. We'll go next time you're in NY and just eat desserts for dinner

Sebastian scrolled back up in his message, looking at the photo of Lily and his friends. He smiled, a small snort coming with an approving nod at Lily's next message.

Lily: Sold!

...

Seb: How was the premier?

Seb: You looked good last night

Lily looked up, glancing across the plane to see Alex still asleep, reclined in his seat. She chewed on her lip for a moment, knowing how well the premier went, but unsure how to address his last text, a little paranoid that there was some prelude to an argument in there somewhere like there usually was whenever they were on the phone the last couple of months.

Lily: It was good! Lots of good reviews from people. Had fun

She hesitated for a moment, before sending, 'And thank you'.

...

Sebastian hummed, seeing the delayed thanks for his compliment. He didn't know what he expected by saying it, in the first place. He just wanted to let her know.

Seb: On your way home?

Lily: For about an hour now

Lily: Just thought about our time zones being reversed. Did I wake you?

He wasn't going to admit it. Sebastian didn't want her to feel bad. He scratched a hand back through his hair and yawned.

Seb: No you're fine

Lily: Sorry. Wasn't thinking. Just thought it was a cute picture

Sebastian smiled, with a small snort. He nodded to himself.

Seb: It is

Seb: Ready for your big day? 

...

Lily: Of course

It was a little more than a stretch of the truth. The busy week and the ridiculous traveling had officially caught up with her. Lily was banking on being able to get a nap in when she got home and that her makeup artist could disguise the bags under her eyes. If she could just get an hour in, she might be able to withstand the presentation and the reception that followed. If she was lucky, maybe she would get bored on the flight and fall asleep.

Lily: Are you?

Seb: Of course

Lily snickered to herself at her next thought.

Lily: Did you write a speech or are you just winging it?

...

Sebastian chuckled to himself. He glanced down at the hotel stationary and pen still left on the empty half of the bed.

Seb: Figured I'd shoot from the hip- see what happens

Lily: Oh dear lord...

His smile broke open and Sebastian laughed out loud. He had a wicked thought.

Seb: I thought I'd open with that time we got you to do a shot of soy sauce at that ratty Chinese food place we all,went the first time I came out here to see you

Lily: OMG please tell me you're kidding

He couldn't help his mischievous smile, as he typed.

Seb: Too personal?

Seb: My backup was going to be the time we were going home drunk from karaoke and you argued with the cabby about why Lennie should have as many rabbits as he wanted and the death of the American dream if he couldn't have one...for 15 minutes...just because he had a rabbit's foot hanging from his mirror

Lily: I changed my mind. You can't speak today

Sebastian barked out a laugh, finally sitting up in bed and turning on the lamp nearby.

...

Seb: Probably won't have time for both stories. Which do you prefer I use?

Lily shook her head, as she typed, trying hard to control her tight-lipped grin and keep from laughing.

Lily: I will kill you. I'll make it look like an accident

Seb: Fine. I'll come up with something else.

Seb: Have a good flight. See you soon

Lily: See you soon


	41. Chapter 41

Balled up under her blanket, Lily had fallen asleep sometime after she finished messaging with Sebastian. She came to at the gentle shake of her shoulder under Drew's hand. He told her they were going to land soon and she needed to go back to her seat. Lily wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and trudged across the cabin to her seat with Alex, who was just waking up himself.

"Get some rest, babe?" he asked, scratching a hand back through his hair, before a long overhead stretch.

Lily nodded and hummed. She fastened her seatbelt and promptly snuggled up to Alex's shoulder. He planted a lingering kiss on top of her head and tucked the end of her blanket under her chin. Lily snickered at the thoughtful move and the pilot made his announcement that they were beginning their descent into Los Angeles.

With a check of the time on her phone, as she was sliding into the backseat of the SUV to take her home, Lily sighed. She wanted to sleep, but there were too many things to do before her ceremony at 3p.m. Lily pulled up to her gate just after noon. She and Alex went inside, while Jessica went for takeout. By the time Lily stepped out of the shower, the front gate bell rang to announce the arrival of the groomers. Lily buzzed them in and Alex took his turn in the bathroom.

Lily perched herself in a director's chair in her dressing room. Jessica returned with pasta and salads and Lily ate carefully, around the deft hands of her makeup artist. Alex's suit was hanging on her door and he came in to peck a kiss at her temple, when the makeup girl turned for another brush and he saw an opening. Jessica stoodby, handing Lily a bottle of water with a straw whenever she wanted a drink and reading her messages and emails of congratulations from business acquaintances and friends. She also kept a close eye on the time and went over the bulletpoints for the ceremony, so Lily knew what to expect.

At quarter after two, Drew was back at the door, showered and in a fresh suit, to escort Lily and Alex to Hollywood and the event in front of the TCL Chinese Theater. The forecourt of the theater was packed full of fans and press. Presumably, in there somewhere, was Sebastian and the rest of the speakers for the laying of the star. There was a red carpet rolled out to the curb to welcome Lily and guide her in. As the darkly tinted SUV came to a stop, Lily spotted members of Drew's security company dotted along the path up to the stage. Beside her, Alex took and squeezed Lily's hand, before raising it to his lips to grace her knuckles with a kiss.

"Are you ready?" he smiled, warmly.

Lily nodded and he popped the handle of his door. Drew was outside waiting and pulled the door open. Alex slid out, with Lily on his heels, still hand in hand. The crowd erupted into applause and screams. The photographers' flashes speckled her vision, even in the daylight. Lily smiled and waved all around. She slowed every few steps to sign autographs for outstretched hands and thanked everyone for their support. At the small platform, standing behind her star already set into the ground, Lily exchanged hugs and Hollywood kisses with several execs and the emcee, before the ceremony began. With a parting hug, a few words of praise and encouragement to her ear, and a kiss from Alex, Lily used Drew's hand to steady herself to step up on the stage. Drew sent her a nod and smile, before stepping back to the side of the stage to keep watch.

The emcee began his welcome and introductions, while Lily stood to the side of the stage, on display for the cameras and fans. She wore a humble grin, as she listened, along with everyone else, to the parade of Hollywood big shots and friends who highlighted her career and honored her with kind words. She hazarded a casual look around, every now and then, trying to spot Sebastian. He was lost in the crowd somewhere she couldn't see. She never found him, until the emcee called him forward.

The screams from the women in the crowd brought a smile to Lily's face and she couldn't help but giggle, when Sebastian appeared from the side of the platform and climbed up on stage. He gave Drew a pat on the arm, saying something fast to him that Lily couldn't hear over the enthusiasm from the fans. Drew gave him a laughing smile in return and Sebastian shifted his attention to Lily, as he came up from the rear of the stage to meet her where she stood on her mark.

Sebastian opened his arms to her. Lily met him with a warm smile, folding her arms around his neck when his wrapped around her waist. Lifting his head from her shoulder, his peck of a kiss landed on her cheek. He let her go, turning to the podium and Lily reset herself off to the side, standing demurely with her hands folded in front of her, waiting to see what he would say.

With a last encouraging smile to Lily, Sebastian turned his gaze out to the crowd of cameras ahead of him and over her admirers on either side of him. When the crowd settled again, he cleared his throat gently and glanced at the small card in his hand.

"When, uh-" he started and stopped, his head dropping a bit with a fond smile and a small shake. "When I heard about Lily getting a star on the Walk of Fame, I thought, 'It's about damned time'." The crowd chuckled, with a stirring of applause in agreement, and he caught Lily's shy smile from the corner of his eye. "When they asked if I would come out here and say a few words, I was humbled. You see, I don't think there's a bigger fan of Lily Benjamin than me.

"Lily and I met about seven years ago," Sebastian said. "We mentored a children's acting camp in New York that summer, and she's been my best friend ever since. I finally got the honor of working with her, earlier this year, on Broadway. And I'm looking forward to working with her again in just a couple weeks." He paused to let the fresh round of eager applause pass. "I know, right?" he smiled and went on. "Because, the thing about working with Lily is, she is a pro, in every sense of the word. You've seen her movies. That's why we're here, we know. But it's the things you don't see that already made her a Hollywood legend. Ask anyone of her co-stars, her directors, or anyone out of the crew and they'll all tell you, she brings out the best in you. The energy and enthusiasm she brings to work with her every day is infectious and it's not often you come across someone willing to work as hard as she does. It doesn't matter how many statues or awards she has, she never stops trying to improve herself. You'd be hard pressed to find another actor in Hollywood who works as hard as she does or gives more to their craft than Lily Benjamin. I don't know of anyone more deserving of this honor than her.

"Lily's got heart," he beamed. "She's got passion for acting and for helping others. And she's committed, to everything she does. I saw it that first summer in New York and I see it in the articles about her hosting a charity event to support battered women's shelters here, in LA, last week. She's a philanthropist. She cares. After all this time in Hollywood, she still remembers to think of others and gives her time, her money, and the influence of her name to good causes. It's so easy to get lost in the fame, to forget who you are to yourself and everyone else, but Lily has always been honest, giving young actors and actresses something to admire and strive for." He steepled his fingers into his chest. "I know she inspires me." He turned his shoulder to address Lily and still speak into the mic. "You never cease to amaze me, Lil."

"I think it's easy to forget sometimes, looking at this beautiful woman in front of us, on stage or up on that screen," Sebastian went on, gesturing his upturned palm to Lily, "that this incredible actress has been wowing us since she was 8 years old. _8_. ...She's handled her whole career with a grace and elegance that would bring Old Hollywood to its knees in front of her. If anyone still so young, with a résumé so diverse and impressive as hers, _ever_ deserved their name among these iconic stars, it's Lily Benjamin.

"I wish you all could know Lily the way I do," he grinned, with a wistful sweep of his head. Sebastian turned again, to see Lily. "Being your friend has been one of the greatest privileges of my life." He glanced back over the crowd. "I couldn't be more proud to be standing here, telling you about this phenom before me; being here to share this moment with my best friend." Lily ducked her head, with a bashful smile, and put her hand over her heart, when Sebastian fixed his eyes on her. "Drink this in, doll," he proudly smiled, holding out his upturned palm to her. "This is all for you. You've earned it, Lil."

Lily was on the verge of tears. With her fingertips layered over her mouth, she puckered and blew him a kiss. Sebastian left the podium, going to Lily to give her another hug, as the crowd broke into loud applause and cheers for Sebastian's speech and for Lily.

Squeezing each other tight, Lily playfully scolded him, "You're gonna make me cry, asshole. My face'll be ruined."

He pressed a kiss into the side of her hair, saying to her ear, "You're beautiful, Lil. Nothing could ever ruin you."

Lily felt her cheeks burn as she crushed her eyes closed to will back the dampness in them. They let each other go. Before he stepped off the stage, Sebastain took Lily's hand, looking up into her eyes as he bowed and brushed a kiss to her knuckles. He took his leave, mixing back into the crowd, as the emcee continued on with the ceremony and the cameras flashed. Lily ran her thumb under her eyes to make sure her makeup hadn't run. She turned her attention to the crowd, waving with a laughing smile at a few boisterous young girls in the front. It was all she could do to keep from crying, after Sebastian's touching speech.

There was a reception that followed the ceremony, in the grand theater's ballroom. Lily circulated around the room, shaking hands and accepting hugs. She lost track of how many photos she posed for, in front of the professionals and in casual selfies. It was about an hour into the event before her path crossed Sebastian's. Lily found him off to the side of the large hall, with a drink in his hand and laughing at someone's joke. She gave his jacket sleeve a quick pet, to announce herself, as she joined the small group. Sebastian looked over and smiled. He tipped his glass to the others and excused himself and Lily from the conversation, sticking out his elbow for her to take. Lily waved her polite goodbye and Sebastian led her to one of the couches, along the wall of the room, that was just vacated.

Sebastian turned, letting Lily's hand slip from the crook of his arm when she smoothed her dress behind her to sit down. He settled into the cushion beside her with a broad grin. He flagged down a passing waiter, scooting up to the edge of the couch to pluck a pair of champagne flutes from the offered tray. Handing a glass to Lily, he clinked his crystal to hers with a silent toast.

Throwing back a drink, he noted, "You don't look near drunk enough to put up with this."

Lily agreed with an exaggerated nod and a chuckle. "I am definitely not."

"So, what do you think of all of this?" he wondered, easing back into the couch again.

"I think it's a bit ridiculous," she decided, looking over the busy room.

"I knew it," he shook his head. "You're gonna make me do it." Lily raised a curious eyebrow and he went on, "You're gonna make me make a scene, because you don't realize how special and amazing you are. I'm going to have to jump on this god damn couch and go all Tom Cruise and you'll have no one to blame but yourself."

Lily put out a quick hand to grab his forearm, when Sebastian made like he was going to sit up and actually do it. "Oh, my god," she laughed, pulling him back. "Please don't."

"Then tell me you're having fun," he told her, with a shrug, ready to accept defeat.

"I'm having fun," she promised.

"Good," he nodded, satisfied with her sincerity. "You should be. This is a hell of a party. All for you, kid."

Lily hummed, with a nod. "It's a good party."

Sebastain eyed Lily, as she took a sip of her drink. "You miss her, huh?" he realized, with a frown in his expression and his voice.

There was an instant shine in her eyes, when she looked over at him. Lily put on a feeble grin and blinked the dampness away, ducking her head. She gave a small, quick nod and shrugged. She panned her gaze around to see if anyone else caught her moment of weakness. Her eyes came back to see Sebastian's hand over hers in her lap. 

"She'd be proud," he confidently assured her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "It's okay to miss her. Just don't forget to enjoy the moment."

"I know," she nodded, sending him back a squeeze and taking shelter in a long pull of her champagne. 

"Been a busy week," he observed. "Have you slept?"

Lily inhaled a deep breath, grinning at his mother hen-ing. "Whenever I'm not awake," she quipped.

"Good plan," he chuckled, putting his arm up on the back of couch and kicking an ankle up to rest on his knee. He took a drink and Lily leaned into his side with a small sigh.

"I could sleep for a whole fucking week," she said.

"You're done after this, right?" Sebastian figured. "You don't have anything before we start table reads and shit, do you?"

"I don't even remember," she admitted, with a tired laugh. "I'm impressed I managed to show up for this." Muttering, she added, "Not that they'd let me forget."

"Poor Benny," he said, folding his arm down behind her shoulders. He snuffled a laugh, patting her arm, saying, "Remember, this is fun. We're having a good time, while we're still young and pretty and people think we're something special."

"You're right," Lily agreed, giving his knee a playful slap. "I can sleep when I'm dead, god damn it."

"That's the spirit," he laughed. 

"Maybe my next role will be a zombie," she considered. "That way, no one could tell the difference."

Sebastian laughed out loud, shaking his head. "Think of the money they'd save on makeup and effects," he mused.

"Exactly," Lily chuckled. She took a deep breath and sighed. "How long do you think I have to stay?"

"As long as you want," he said, decidedly. "Today's your day. Do whatever you want."

"I don't want to disappoint everyone," she grumbled.

"I think they'd understand," Sebastian shrugged. "The way they've been running you this week? Besides, half the people here are just sniffing around for their next deal. The other half are probably too absorbed trying to be seen and get their face in front of the paps."

"When did you get so cynical?" Lily asked, with a wry smile.

"Hanging out with you too much, Negative Nancy," he figured.

Lily gave him a soft thump in the chest, sitting up to gape at him. "Ass," she called him, her lips betraying her with a smile.

Sebastian chuckled, ducking his head for a moment. "Ehh, you like it," he smiled, smugly.

With an elbow pushed gently into his ribs, it was quiet for a moment, while they sipped their drinks and watched the room. Eyes still flitting around, Sebastian cocked his head toward Lily.

"So, where'd you tie up your stuntman?" he asked. "Or is he in to that sort of thing, hm?" His brow wagged up over a lascivious smirk.

Lily's eyes rolled over to wait for his to meet to hers. Sebastian flashed a smile that was perfectly balanced between innocent and evil, while Lily told him, "I wandered off while he was chatting with some friends."

"Is he boring?" he deadpanned, shifting to a small angle toward Lily. "Is he the world's most uninteresting man?" Lily's lips puckered tightly, with a slow shake of her head to try and keep from outright smiling and encouraging him. "It's okay, Lil," Sebastian soothed, "you can tell me the truth."

"I'm going to stop talking to you, now," Lily advised, still pursing her lips into obedience.

A wicked chuckle shook Sebastian's chest, before he finished his drink. "You won't last," he quietly promised. 

Lily shook her head, stubbornly intent to prove him wrong. She crossed her legs, swinging her foot casually back and forth, and folded her arm across her. She took tiny sips of her champagne to make it last, doing her best to look everywhere but at Sebastian. She could feel him watching her.

"Go on," he purred, turning to her ear. "You know you wanna." Lily shook her head and put her glass back to her lips. "Say something. ...Beeeeh-nny," he softly sang, as Lily sat up to put her empty flute on the table in front of them. Sitting back, she tucked her hands underneath her arms, still refusing to acknowledge him, as he prodded, "C'mon, Lil."

Lily's shoulders shook with suppressed laughter, but she wasn't giving in. Until she caught sight of Alex weaving his way through the ballroom and heading straight for her and Sebastian. Lily gave Sebastian's leg a quick smack and, through grit teeth and a wide smile, told him to behave. She sat a little straighter, as Alex arrived.

He was all smiles, when he reach down his hand to shake Sebastian's and introduce himself. "Hey, how's it goin'? I'm Alex."

Sebastian replied with his first name, sitting up to meet Alex's hand and taking his arm back from Lily's shoulders. "Good to meet you," Sebastian nodded.

"Yeah," Alex smiled back, "I was wondering if I'd get a chance to finally meet you. Nice speech, by the way."

"Ah, well," he shrugged, with a humble smile, "it was a stretch to find anything nice to say, but, ya know, anything for Lil."

Alex laughed and Lily looked on, her eyes flitting back and forth between the two men, like she was watching a game of tennis. There was an apprehensive twist in her belly, not quite sure if Sebastian would play nice. Lily stood up, smoothing her dress, while the men went on.

"Anything for Lil," Alex agreed, sending her a warm smile, when she stepped into his side. "How long are you in town for?"

"Just tonight," Sebastian said. "Headed home tomorrow. Got some things to get squared away before work starts."

"How great is it, you two getting to work together?" Alex mused, while Lily draped her arm behind Alex in response to his arm wrapping absentmindedly around her waist.

"Oh, it's great," Sebastian nodded, his face pinching at the obvious answer. "Can't wait."

"The script's incredible," Alex noted.

"First time I read it," Sebastian began, "I told her, get on it. It's perfect for her."

"It is," he nodded, gesturing out a hand in agreement. "I gotta admit though, when Lily said you signed on, I thought that was perfect, too. I told her, I remembered that miniseries you did awhile back and-"

Lily patted Alex on the chest, whispering to excuse herself for a drink. While Alex and Sebastian went on, Lily slipped over to the bar. While the bartender mixed her a strong drink, Lily looked back at the her boyfriend and best friend across the room, sitting side by side, talking shop. She shook her head at the sight. Jesus Christ, this was weird. She didn't find the nerve to go back, until her glass was empty.

Both men stopped, smiling up at her as she came over. Alex stood, while Sebastian rested a little deeper into the couch back, with a small grin on his face. Lily was relieved when her agent touched her arm for her attention, begging everyone's pardon to say that she had to borrow Lily for a few minutes. With a helpless shrug, Lily bowed out again. Not that she even knew what to say to either man, let alone the pair together. 

Alex shook Sebastian's hand again, telling him, "It was good to meet you. Good talking with you."

"Yeah, man," Sebastian agreed, his brow rising in what Lily knew was a bit of an exaggeration of agreement. She shot him a warning glare, as he finished, "Same here."

When Alex turned to follow Carolyn away, Sebastian's mouth fell open in an obnoxious smile. Lily rolled her eyes and he innocently shrugged. 

"What?" he complained, standing up. "I was good."

"I find that hard to believe," Lily smirked.

"Scout's honor," Sebastian said, holding his hand up to vow.

"You were never a Scout," she reminded him.

"Lil?" Alex called back to her.

Lily turned over her shoulder to flash a smile, raising a finger to say she would be with him and Carolyn soon, and telling Sebastian, "I'll find out if you were mean."

"I know," he smiled, sweetly, before kissing her cheek. "Go have fun kissing hands and shaking babies. I'll see ya around."

"You leaving?" she asked, a little surprised herself by how worried the petite question sounded.

"Nah," he winked. "But you've got more circulating to do. Enjoy your party, Benny."

Sebastian stepped past her, waving his acknowledgment of a couple people noticing him and beckoning him over. Lily caught up to Alex and his outstretched hand to lead her along.


	42. Chapter 42

"I hate him."

Lily spun around, a bit startled by the opinion said so close to her ear. "What?" she checked, giving Sebastian and his frown an incredulous once over.

"I hate him," he repeated, with a helpless shrug and resigned rise in his brow.

"Why?" Lily scowled, picking up the fresh drink the bartender just set down for her.

"Because I don't hate him," Sebastian told her, stuffing his hands into his pockets and rocking back on his heels.

"I thought you said you were being good," she reminded him.

"I was," he assured her, "when we were talking. But that's when I figured it out." He put up a hand to flag down the bartender. "You're right. That handsome son of a bitch really is a good guy. He's supposed to be this prick, or something. Some asshole who's not good enough for you, you know? But he's not." Sebastian turned his attention to ordering his drink, while Lily sampled hers. He turned back, concluding, "Believe me, I wanna hate the guy, but ya just can't."

"Sorry about that," Lily grinned into another drink.

"No, you're not," he groaned, with a crooked smile. Sebastian pulled a money clip from his pocket and thumbed out a tip for the jar. Pocketing his cash, he grabbed his gin and tonic and took a sip. "God, I hate that guy," he remembered, squinting, unhappily, at nothing. "I bet he comes and hangs out on set, with his stupid chiseled jaw, just high-fiving people and being awesome all god damn day."

"Really?" Lily snickered. " _That's_ what you're going with?"

He shrugged, ahead of a drink. "Sounds about right."

"I wouldn't let it bother you," she consoled him. "Besides, won't you be too busy to pay him any attention with your pocket-sized model visiting you?"

Sebastian's brow knit down in confusion. "My wha-?" He lit up with recognition. "Ohh, yeah, that." His eyes fell to stare at the glass in his hand for a moment. "No. No, that's...not really, ya know..." He shrugged. "It's not really a thing."

"Bored with her already?" Lily quipped. "That's gotta be a new record."

"Well," he considered, with a thoughtful pout, "you know how it is. Just a little something to kill time."

Lily busied herself with her drink, nodding as her reply to his seeming indifference. "Well, that's something, I guess," she offered, just to fill the space. Not that she actually wanted to talk about the girl.

"Eh," he shrugged again. "She's kind of annoying." Lily didn't mean to snicker, but she did and it made Sebastian chuckle. "Banging body," he admitted, before his smirk fell to a frown and he swept his head, "but she chews her gum like a cow." Lily laughed out loud. "Drives me fucking nuts," he grimaced.

"I'm sorry," Lily told him, waving away her lack of self control. "I shouldn't laugh. Sorry."

"That's okay," Sebastian assured her. "I like it when you laugh."

Lily pressed her lips together and felt a soft heat pass through her cheeks. "Thanks."

"No problem," he smiled, taking another drink. Over the top of his glass, Sebastian watched her fiddle nervously with the thin straw in her drink. "Anyway," he said, quietly clearing his throat. "The way I got it figured is, my flight home is at 9:10, so we don't really have time for second breakfast on this trip." The joke brought Lily's eyes back up to his and he grinned to greet them. "So, I'm gonna say, we'll have to wait 'til the table read to do it."

"Ahh," Lily nodded. "I see. Well, next time it is then."

"Next time," he agreed, lifting his glass to toast the decision. Someone called Sebastian's name and he and Lily both looked.

"You're popular," she joked, seeing Sebastian wave and hold up a finger to ask for time before joining the next conversation.

"Yyep," he arrogantly inhaled. "Can't believe all these people showed up just for me."

"Oh, well," Lily playfully huffed, sweeping a hand out in front of her to send him on. "Don't let me keep you."

"I'm probably headed out of here after this," he let her know. "Gonna catch up with the guys for dinner."

Lily hummed and nodded her understanding. "Thanks for coming out for this," she offered.

Sebastian smiled, warmly, cocking his head to the side. "Where else would I be?" he wondered. 

"Still," she insisted, "I'm glad you came."

"Aw, Lil," he playfully tutted, stepping in to hug her, adding a well-timed "Phrasing" when she was in his arms.

Lily turned her head down into his shoulder, laughing. "Jesus," she groaned.

Sebastian chuckled, giving the hug a small sway. "You want to be mad, but ya can't," he read her mind to her, before pressing a kiss into the side of her hair. "Congratulations, Benny," he told her, as she straightened up to hook her chin over his shoulder when he gave her a squeeze. 

"Thanks, Bas," she quietly replied.

Sebastian let her go, stepping backward with an easy smile. Lily smiled back, giving him a small wave, as he turned to meet his friends. Alex came up by her side, tracing his fingers lightly down the back of her arm to announce himself. Lily took another sip of her cocktail, turning to say hello and taking his offered elbow to be lead away to see some more people.

"Did you have a good night?"

Lily smiled, humming with her nod, as she put her diamond earrings back in their small velvet box. "I did." She took a peek at Alex in the mirror, watching him drape his tie around the top of the hangar in his garment bag. "Did you?"

"It was great," Alex agreed, pulling a t-shirt from his suitcase and tugging it overhead. "You know what was really good?" he prompted, turning around to see her.

"Those little berry tarts?" Lily quipped.

"Those were delicious," he laughed, following Lily into her dressing room. Alex leaned into the doorway, while Lily slipped out of her dress. "But, no. I was actually gonna say, getting to meet Sebastian Stan."

"Oh," Lily blinked, digging through a drawer for a pair of sleep shorts and a top. "Really?" she wondered, giving Alex a curious look.

"Well," he shrugged, with a chuckle, "after the little berry tarts and you in that dress." Lily flashed a shy smile and stepped into her shorts. "Not necessarily in that order, either."

"I don't know," Lily playfully sang, smoothing the hem of her camisole at her waist. "Those tarts were pretty tasty." Alex chuckled and Lily pecked a kiss to his cheek as she passed by him on her way back to her bedroom. She stepped into her slippers and found the nerve to ask, "So, what'd you two talk about?"

"About your movie," he shrugged, walking with Lily on the way downstairs. "Well, your premier, really, and then Words Fail starting up soon. Mostly about you."

"I don't know if I should be flattered or frightened," Lily joked, hoping her humor came through more than her actual concern.

"Are you kidding?" Alex smirked, wandering into the kitchen behind her. "I don't think that guy has anything bad to say about you." He put up a finger and teased, "Now, something embarrassing? Maybe."

"Oh, god," Lily gaped, stopping with her hand on the refrigerator door. "What did he say?"

Alex was thoroughly amused by her worried expression. "He told me about your misadventure with soy sauce," he shook his head. "You know, he actually pointed out the shade of green you turned."

"I did _not_ throw up," Lily raised her own finger to defend herself.

"No," Alex laughed, "but he said you were sick as a dog for, like, two hours. How much soy sauce did you shoot?"

Lily groaned, dropping her head back and rolling her eyes across the ceiling, as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. "Two," she unhappily admitted. "I did two shots."

"Whyyy?" he begged, exaggerating a silent gag at the end.

"It was a dare," she shrugged. "We all did something stupid. Did he tell you about the guy at Union Station with the sandwich? That's the real story."

"That I did not hear about," Alex frowned. He shook his head and laughed. "He's a fun guy, though. I like him. I see why you do. It's a shame he's not out here more."

Lily watched as Alex rounded the kitchen island to grab a beer from the fridge, agreeing, "Yeah. I'm glad you two got along."

"He's not bad at speeches, either," Alex noted and Lily followed him out to the living room. "I thought for sure you'd crack," he smiled. "He almost had you."

"Almost," she shyly admitted. Lily folded her feet underneath her on the couch, tipping into Alex's side when he opened up his arm to her. "I told him not to make me cry," she grumbled. "Little shit never listens."

"I'm sure he wasn't trying," Alex figured, pressing a kiss into the top of her head, as Lily cuddled onto his shoulder. "But he hit all the finer points about why we all love you," he added. "You can see how much he cares. It's nice to have friends like that."

"Mhm," Lily hummed, sipping on her water. "He's a good guy."

"You know," Alex began, twisting to reach forward to set his bottle on the coffee table and pick up the remote. Lily curled under his arm again when he sat back. "He said he worries about you sometimes."

Oh, shit, Lily thought and casually wondered aloud, "Why's that?"

"Well, you know," he shrugged, "the paps following you around, printing their bullshit. Said he knows how you're getting run around lately and it's starting to show." Lily shifted a little in her seat and Alex went on. "So, in the morning, you're gonna pack a bag and we're going up to Santa Barbara for the weekend."

"We're what?" Lily questioned, sitting up to see him.

"No arguing," he shook his head. "We both got time. I had my assistant call. It's already booked. We're going to take a long weekend and celebrate you; just hang out and relax, away from everything." He took his phone from his pocket and showed her a group message inviting some of her friends along, as he continued, "Angela and Jeff are meeting us at my place at 10, so I can get some fresh clothes. They'll follow us up and everyone else'll meet us there. I think you're gonna like this place. It's right on the beach."

"Are you serious?" she asked, handing back his phone and looking up at him.

"Completely," Alex smiled. "He's right. You've been working like a dog. Hell, just this week alone would be enough to kill someone. You need some time to enjoy all this success, away from the press and schedules."

Lily let out a small laugh of surprise at the trip. "Wow," she marveled. "I don't...Wow."

Alex chuckled and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Honestly, I don't know how you're even awake right now."

"It's only 8," she pointed out.

"I know," he nodded, "but you've had such a long week. Sometimes you do too much, Lil."

"Okay," she playfully decided. "No more talking to Stan. You two sound like twins."

"Well," Alex considered, "you don't listen to me, maybe you'll listen to him. ...Although he says you don't. But I don't think that's true."

"I listen," Lily pouted. Alex cocked his head and quirked up a brow to challenge her. "Okay. Fine," she grumbled. "I could..." Lily tipped her head into her shoulder. "I guess, you know, _listen_ a little harder."

"Or just listen at all?" he teased, earning a gentle thump in the chest from Lily's palm. Alex wrapped her up in a hug and pulled her close. "I know," he conceded, "you've always worked hard." Lily hugged him back. "Look at what it's gotten you," Alex reminded her. "But it wouldn't kill you to say 'no' to people, once in awhile, you know?"

"I know," she smiled. 

The frenzy of the premiers, junkets, and the laying of her star behind her, Lily took the drive up the 101 with Alex. With Angela and her husband, Jeff, in tow, they spent the weekend at a beachside hotel, as promised. Alex booked the Residence at the Bacara Resort for them all to stay together. A handful of friends booked their own suites to celebrate Lily's successes.

They soaked up the afternoon sun on the patio, overlooking the ocean, and enjoying a large portion of the Room Service offerings. In the evening, they listened to music, the men smoking cigars with their brown liquors on the balcony outside while the women laughed over bottles of wine in front the fire place inside. Lily posted a photo of her and her girlfriends piled together on her Instagram account, with a note about remembering to take it easy.

Lily booked a spa day for her and Angela. Alex and some of their friends took to a golf course nearby for a round of 18 holes. Nobody cared how much they ate or drank, enjoying a large group dinner at the Angel Oak on Sunday night. The crowd was thin on the beach come Monday morning. Lily sunbathed in the sand with her friends and frolicked in the surf with Alex. By the afternoon, it was just the four of them left. The others and gone back to their jobs.

The long weekend was just what Lily needed to feel refreshed. Everyone bemoaned checking out the next morning, but they couldn't hide forever. The table read for Lily's movie was next week and Alex had his own meetings to tend to while he finalized agreements for his next project. 

When Lily returned to her LA home, she caught up on messages and emails. There were tweaks to the production schedule waiting for her, as well as a pile of gifts to congratulate her on her new film's opening and her star on the Walk of Fame. Flowers and cards from former costars and friends littered her dining table. She and Jessica parted out arrangements around the house to brighten it up. Jessica took notes to reply with Lily's thanks to everyone.

With the last half of a frozen coffee from Starbucks, Lily sat at the large wrought iron table beside her pool. She flipped through the industry papers Jessica had sorted for her to see the collected reviews for her movie after its opening weekend. Critics and audiences both gave the film high marks. The first weekend's box office returns topped out at just over 70 million. Lily was pleased and she knew the studio would be too. She folded and shuffled the print articles around on her table to make a small collage, posting a pic of the praiseworthy headlines and putting a message of thanks to her fans underneath the post for their support over the last week. 

While she was on her phone, Lily scrolled through her tags. She grinned at the loving comments that filled in under her photos and the rising number of likes. From the weekend, several photos of her on the beach with her friends showed up online. They clearly were all from the same photographer. Fan pages reposted them, adding swoon worthy tags about Liander beneath pics of her walking on the beach, hand in hand with Alex, and wrapped up with Alex in stolen kisses in the waves. At least no one was running any smear stories about her this week. 


	43. Chapter 43

The next day, Jessica met a delivery driver at the front gate. When she came back in, she was carrying an oversized floral arrangement of more than a dozen stems of pink stargazer lilies filled in with white orchids, in a cut glass vase. The display bordered on the obnoxious and the card said why.

[Welcome home, Benny!  
Congratulations again on your star.  
Love, Sebastian]

Lily smiled, taking out her phone. She took a photo of the flowers setting on the table and sent it on to Sebastian.

Lily: I think my assistant hurt her back carrying this in

Lily went back to her lunch, putting aside her phone to take up her drink. A few minutes later, she got a reply.

Seb: See it's funny because they're STARgazer LILies. Get it?

Stifling her laugh, as she chewed, Lily shook her head.

Lily: I see what you did there...dork

Lily: What's with the "welcome home"?

...

Sebastian shook his head, chuckling to himself in the back of his Uber.

Seb: That thank you pic you put up was taken on your table by the pool. Figured you were back from Santa Barbara

Lily: Are you stalking me??

He couldn't help the laugh he coughed out and didn't care that it made his driver look at him curiously in the rear view mirror.

Seb: Always and forever

Seb: For-ev-er

Seb: I'm hiding in the bushes across the street right now.

Lily: I've been thinking of getting a mean dog to protect the house. Sounds like now's the time

Seb: What do you mean "GET a mean dog"? Did you fire Drew?

...

Lily laughed, giving her head a sweep and pursing her lips.

Lily: Well, I will need a stand in. He'll be on his honeymoon next week

Seb: So kind of you to give him time off for his own wedding. How long does he get? 24 hours? A whole weekend?

"Smartass," Lily muttered, shaking her head.

Lily: He's gone 9 days, smartass

Seb: Holy shit! Did your heart grow 3 sizes today?

...

It only took a few seconds for Sebastian to find an image of the Grinch wearing his curled up, wicked smile to send to Lily. Sebastian himself grinned, smugly, at his own joke.

Lily: Ha ha. Very funny

Seb: Thanks. I don't even try. I'm just naturally hilarious.

Lily: You are "something". I'll give you that

Seb: Did you get invited to the wedding or are you going to crash it?

Seb: I'm down for crashing 

Lily: Invited

The car pulled over to the curb in front of his apartment building. Sebastian left the driver with a smile and a handshake, as his phone buzzed in his hand, lighting up with a new message from Lily. The screen previewed just an emoji. Sebastian laughed. It was the middle finger emoji.

...

Seb: Hope you at least bought him something nice

Lily tutted, shaking her head.

Lily: Of course I did. It's Drew for god's sake. It's not like I'm buying a present for you...

Seb: That almost stung. Almost

Lily: I paid for their airline tickets

Seb: No shit. Where to?

Lily: Bali. First class.

Seb: I've definitely been getting ripped off in the "gifts from Lily" department

Lily laughed, but didn't really have a response to his comment. She gave it some thought and figured neither of them had ever really gotten each other anything much. Sebastian sent flowers once or twice a year and they'd send each other small gifts for birthdays. When they kind of lost touch over the last couple years, neither of them even sent a Christmas card to the other.

Lily: I've authorized my assistant to spend an extra $3 on the next gift I have her buy for you

Seb: You're all heart, Lilian. That's why your my favorite

Seb: Just got home and having some people over. Got to go

Lily frowned to herself, wondering if one of those people might be the blonde model. She scolded herself with a shake of her head, just before his next message chimed in.

Seb: Tell Drew congratulations for me

Lily: Will do. Have fun tonight

 ~~~~

Lily didn't have much to do before production started on her film with Sebastian. She bummed around cocktail hours with studio types and dinners with friends. Lily already had arrangements made for her hotels for the duration of the shooting schedule, barring any last minute changes or disasters. She had already packed clothes to take with her. Her luggage was waiting, in her large walk-in closet, for a few last minute additions. She spent a Friday night at a movie premier for one of Alex's friends and late September Saturday night celebrating Drew's wedding.

Drew's fiancé, Liz, was from Temecula and they had an absolutely picture perfect wedding at the Ponte Winery there. The outdoor ceremony by the water, with the vineyard and the mountains in the background, alone was worth the long drive from LA. The elegant reception in the Reserve Room was highlighted by a delicious meal and a live band. The guests that didn't book a room at the inn on the property, didn't begin to trickle out from the party until well into the night.

Lily and her date were by far the most noteworthy people in attendance, beside the bride and groom. They made no show of being anything special and they were pleased to not have a fuss made over them. Lily and Alex blended in with the semi-formal dresses and suits, like everyone else. She had no intention of being a distraction from the real star's of the evening, even taking a seat in one of the farther back rows to be out of the way, during the ceremony.

It was refreshing to be at an event and not be hounded for a signature or photo. Drew's family and friends were as welcoming of her as he was. It warmed her heart to be a part of the evening and be reminded of how much like family Drew treated her, after their years working together. The celebration wound down by 1 a.m. The guests left with a commemorative bottle of wine. Lily and Alex were one of a few dozen couples to take advantage of the accommodations for the night. As they were calling it a night themselves, Lily and Alex caught up with Drew and his new wife one last time.

"Congratulations, again, you two," Lily smiled, giving Liz a hug, while Alex and Drew shook hands.

"Thank you both, so much, for coming," Liz gushed. "And, Lily, for the plane tickets. We can't thank you enough and we're both just so happy you guys came."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Lilian told them, accepting a hug from Drew, as Alex took Liz's hand and kissed her cheek. "Enjoy your trip."

"You'll love Bali," Alex promised Liz.

While Alex gave the new Mrs. Madison a restaurant recommendation, assuring her the duck there was a must try, Drew reminded Lily, "I've got Ami on call for any nights out and he's all set up for Vancouver for you. I'll get up there on the-"

"D.," she interrupted, shaking her head with a laugh, "you're not working. This is your wedding night. Please, don't run down my security detail itinerary."

"I know," he smiled. "I just want you to know, that while I'm gone, you're in good hands."

"I know," Lily parroted. "Ami's you're right hand man. I'll be fine."

"I just don't want you to worry about anything," Drew shrugged, putting a hand on the back of Lily's arm to turn her away, while Alex and Liz talked. "And I want you to promise me, you'll follow the same rules for Ami. He always knows where you are and you do exactly as he says, when you're out."

"Two rules," she nodded. "Got it."

Drew studied her grinning expression, for a moment. "You're gonna be a pain in his ass, aren't you?" he sighed.

"No more than I am for you," Lily promised, with an innocent shrug.

"Take it easy on him," he urged, with a chuckle.

"He was in the Israeli Army," Lily pointed out. "What could I possibly-"

"You know the trouble you are," Drew assured her, with a smirk. "I don't want to get up there and have Ami hand me his resignation as soon as I get off the plane."

"I'll be good," Lily pouted. She flashed a smile, giving Drew a hug and pecking a kiss to his cheek. "Have a safe trip, D."

Lily felt like she was chasing her tail all morning. She had somehow managed to sleep through her alarm, waking up almost a half hour later than she meant to. Rushing around the house, coffee brewed while she microwaved a breakfast sandwich. She carried the last bites of the sandwich and her mug of coffee with her to the bathroom, finishing chewing her last mouthful of food by the time she stepped into a hot shower. 

She left her hair to air dry, rolling a hair band onto her wrist to deal with the mess later. Pinning on some earrings and hurriedly checking her watch, Lily fumbled to unfold the heel of the flats she stepped into. She tossed her phone in her purse, grabbing the bag and her keys off the kitchen counter and jogged back to her bedroom to snatch a soft cardigan from where she'd left it on the bed. Dropping into the driver's seat in the garage, with a heavy exhale, Lily was impressed to see she was somehow leaving the house only a few minutes off schedule. If traffic was kind, she might be able to grab a cup of Starbucks on the way for the table read.

Lily flashed bright smiles to answer the 'good mornings' she was met with on her short walk from her parking space to the three story office building on the Sony lot. Inside, the receptionist pointed Lily to the elevator and gave her some short directions to the far end of the second floor. Upstairs, a sign taped on the door told her she was in the right spot. Lily was just turning the handle on the door when it pulled open from the inside and she nearly ran into her director on his way out.

"Oo, shit," Jason gasped, putting his hands on Lily's arms to steady them both from the almost collision. "I'm so sorry," he laughed and Lily did the same. He stepped aside, waving her into the room, telling her, "Come on in. I'll be right back. We're waiting on a couple people held up with traffic, but get comfortable. We should start soon."

"Okay," Lily nodded, with a smile.

Letting the door shut behind her, Lily saw she was already the center of a few people's attentions from the small commotion of her near miss at the door and it made her feel a little self-conscious. The large open floor plan office had a circle of furniture to corral the talent and execs. A few people had already staked their claims to a space on a couch or in one of the several armchairs. On her way further into the room, Lily dropped her purse into a white leather chair, freeing herself to hug people in their seats and where they stood as she was beckoned around the room. She introduced herself to the few people she didn't know, shaking hands and trading smiling pleasantries with the small handful of producers and writers on hand to take notes. 

Making her way around the room, she kept tabs on Sebastian from the corner of her eye. He was perched on the back of a couch at the far end of the room, chatting with some of the other actors near the craft services tables. He had nodded her way, with a kind grin on his face when he first saw her come in. She was delayed on her way to him, cut off by a PA handing her the latest version of the script they would be working off of. When Lily finally reached him, Sebastian was just standing up, laughing at the end of something he'd just heard, with his eyes crinkled and smile wide in absolute amusement and the sight of it made Lily's heart flutter. 

"Hey, Lil," he smiled, reaching a hand out to the back of her arm to bring her closer and holding up his open palm to the actors in front of him, "this is Sean." 

Lily accepted Sean's outstretched hand, nodding when he elaborated, "Sean Mallory. I'll be Pete's brother, Matt. It's great to meet you."

"Likewise," she agreed, becoming aware that Sebastian's hand was still behind her elbow.

Sebastian swung his hand over to the next man. "And Michael, your dad."

Lily shook Michael's hand next, wondering, "We've met, haven't we? At a party somewhere, a premier or something?"

"We have," he confirmed, pointing with a smile at her memory. "Yeah. Stella Bowery's birthday party, last year."

"That's right," Lily realized. "Ohh, how could I forget? That was a great party. You were pouring drinks when the bartender wasn't looking."

Michael laughed, pointing a finger at Lily, as he recalled, "That photo of you with Patrick Stewart."

"Yes," she gushed, gesturing to the top of her head, "with the tiaras and champagne!"

"That was the best photo to come out of that whole night," Michael declared.

"I've gotta find that one again," Sebastian decided. "I'm going to use that for your caller ID pic in my phone."

Lily sighed out her laugh, saying, "Ohh, I love that picture. I have a print of it in my office at home."

"Look," Sebastian beamed, holding his arms out wide to them. "The family's all together and nobody's fighting."

"For now," Sean noted, with a sly grin, as the small group laughed. "Wait 'til we open the script."


	44. Chapter 44

The director came back in, with the last of the members of the table read filing in behind him. One of the producers, Ian, spoke up, calling for everyone's attention. He happily welcomed the large group, saying how excited he was to finally have the cast assembled in one place. He introduced himself and invited everyone to find a seat. The PA zig-zagged around the room, handing out the last of the scripts in her arm and nodding to requests whispered in her ear by a couple of the execs in the room. 

Lily went back to her chair, moving her purse to the floor by her feet and pushing the fluffy pillow into the corner to sit. She watched from the side of her eye, as Sebastian took a seat on one half of a small couch a few people away. He made some quiet small talk with his neighbor, the actress playing Lily's best friend in the film, while the producer wrapped up his greeting and notes to ask everyone to introduce themselves as they moved around the room.

The talent, writers, and execs all took a turn giving their names and roles in the production. The actors drew lines between each other, the more they heard from others, that by the time the last introduction was made, a family tree of sorts had been roughed out. The director spoke up, giving some of his personal observations of the preproduction so far and expressing his thanks to everyone for showing up. Jason offered for everyone to stay comfortable for the next couple of hours, encouraging them to move around or snack, if they wanted to, when they weren't reading. He held up his copy of the script, shrugged with a smile, and signaled the beginning of the read through, optimistically saying, "Let's take it out for a spin."

There was a soft fluttering in the room, as script books were fanned and flipped open. The table read was being recorded for later review. Once the videographer confirmed the camera was rolling, they began.

Jason started them off, reading the notes for the opening shot to lead the actors in. The movie opened with a shot of Pete and Emma's Portland home, a slow moving arial shot zooming in while a montage of arguments and memories from the characters was heard rising from the silence.

"Echos of Pete and Emma's life," Jason read.

Lily glanced over at Sebastian, while the director finished reading the slug lines to set the scene, waiting for Sebastian to read the first line of dialogue in the script.

"You think you're so perfect?" Sebastian read. "You think this is all my fault?"

"This isn't about you or me," Lily came in. "It's about us."

There was a note about some as yet unwritten sentimental score drifting in.

"We're going to do this?" Lily asked. 

"You and me, baby," Sebastian agreed. "This'll be ours."

Jason described the sounds of dishes crashing and an emotional rant while the camera continued to tighten the shot.

"Haven't I given you everything you want?" Sebastian asked. "When was it ever not about you?"

The director gave the transition point for the opening shot, listed before Lily's final line to end the flashback dialogue.

"Did I ever know you?" she read.

The new heading was read for the first appearance of Pete and Emma on screen. While Jason set the scene, Lily looked around the room. The sight of the faces turned down into scripts put a small grin on her face. Her smile broadened when she saw Sebastian watching Jason speak, his eyes tilted up through his brow and completely focused on their director speaking. It was Sebastian's cue and Lily turned back to her script, following along as he led her into the scene.

There was a round of approving applause from several people in the room, their enthusiasm seconded by some well placed whoops and yells. The first read had gone smoothly and the general consensus was that the latest adaptation was working and working pretty damn well. Jason announced a short break while catering set up for lunch, giving his preemptive thanks to the few execs that weren't staying for the feedback portion of the read. 

Lily stood up and stretched. She dug her phone out of her purse to check for any missed messages. The others milled about in the room, swapping seats to have discussions or throwing away empty plastic plates and paper cups. Lily's seat happened to be near enough to eavesdrop on the execs before they split up for the day. The bits and pieces of conversation she overheard were complimentary and optimistic of the project in general and she smiled to herself when she heard Ian and Jason get praised for "finding" Sebastian for this role.

"Hello, my darling wife."

Lily turned, rolling her eyes when she faced Sebastian. "Yes, dear?" she smiled.

"What'dya think?" he asked, pocketing his hands, with a curious wrinkle pulled down in his brow.

"I liked it," she nodded. "I think we all did. I was a little worried, though-"

"About the whole split in the third act?" Sebastian suggested, with a small wince pulling his mouth to the side.

"Yeah," she hesitantly agreed. "It just kinda seems-"

"Like it lost the gut punch?" he nodded. "In the original draft-"

"It cut my heart out," Lily admitted, her expression a little saddened by the edits to the scene. 

"You don't think it sells Pete's redemption as well anymore, do you?" Sebastian figured, cocking his head to the side, with his own frown.

"I think it's there," she explained. "I just don't think the impact is as deep anymore."

"Pete needs to bleed more," he considered.

Lily nodded. "He can't come up from the bottom, if he doesn't hit it," she pointed out.

"You just want to see me suffer," Sebastian smirked.

"The fangirls love it when you cry," she playfully reminded him.

"That is true," he laughed. "Been awhile for 'em." 

"Just think," she began, her open hand waving across the air for him to imagine, "the first trailer, cut with a shot of you and one glistening tear running down your cheek..." Sebastian ducked his head, laughing. "The fangirls will be camped out for weeks to buy their tickets. It'll be a box office sensation. All because Sebastian Stan cries."

"New tag line for the movie?" he offered.

Lily shrugged. "Just wait 'till the cards come in after the test screenings," she told him. "I bet they all say they want more Pete crying scenes."

"You're such a bitch," he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Eh, you like it," she winked.

Sebastian opened his mouth to give her a snappy come back, but Jason was free of his conversation with the producers and came over to speak to his stars. They chatted for the next couple of minutes, Jason sharing his enthusiasm to finally hear the script outloud and Lily and Sebastian agreeing.

Catering had finished prepping the food for lunch and everyone fell into line to make up a plate. Returned to their seats, the camera continued to run while the actors and remaining production staff traded turns about the script. Lily and Sebastian chimed in together about their concerns in the third act, opening up several minutes of back and forth and suggestions about how to get back the original power the scene had in the script when it was sold to the studio. In the end, the writers thought they might have a plan to resurrect pieces of the first draft without interfering with the act's current pacing. Lily and Sebastian shared a small, but proud, smile at the accomplishment.

After they broke for the day, Lily noticed Sebastian standing around on the sidewalk outside the building, while she spoke with a couple of her costars on her way out. She stole glances, as she listened, watching him mess with his phone a few times and pace a few steps, with his hands in his pockets. She said her goodbyes to her castmates and made her way over, seeing Sebastian kick at a pebble on the ground.

"Are you lost young man?" she smiled. "You're out here all alone..."

"Ha ha," he sneered, waggling his head. "Waiting on my ride. And what are you doing?" Sebastian jutted his chin at her. "Making your audition tape for To Catch A Predator?"

"You should read some of my fan mail," she suggested. "I get plenty of letters from guys fantasizing about me luring them away and do all kinds of naughty things to them."

"I know," he told her, flashing a wicked smile. "I ghost wrote several of those."

"Oh, my god," Lily gaped, slapping his arm, with her mouth hung open in offense. "You're disgusting," she laughed. 

Sebastian cackled, rubbing a hand over the sting in his arm. "You know I'm kidding," he groaned. He paused a beat, quirking up a brow and adding, "Or am I?"

"Oh, for crying ou-" Lily rolled her eyes, shaking her head and pursing her lips into a tight smile. "I don't know why I even talk to you."

"Because nobody else is as fun as me," he casually explained, shrugging his shoulders and cocking his head at the obvious answer.

"So humble," she observed.

Sebastian snickered and shook his head, watching her try not to smile. "So, what are you off to, now?"

" _I_ am going to go to the salon, get a massage, and have my nails done," Lily told him.

"Hard life, Lil," he snorted. "What are you doing after that?"

With a shrug, Lily realized, with a small laugh, "I don't know."

"Why don't you come to dinner with me?" he offered, watching Lily open her purse on her shoulder to grab her ringing phone. "We'll talk about the reading and stuff."

"I-" Lily started then stopped, seeing the picture of her and Alex on the screen of her phone. "Hold on." She held up a finger for Sebastian to wait and put her phone to her ear. "Hello?...Yeah, all done. I was just walking out now."

Sebastian stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Rocking back on his heels, he took a distracted look around, listening to Lily's half of the conversation. When his gaze passed back over her, she sent him an apologetic smile and he grinned back.

"I think it went really well," she said. "I mean, we had a couple concerns about somethings they took out, but they seemed pretty receptive to getting some edits back in...It will...Yeah, I was headed that way in a couple minutes. I was just finishing up talking with some people."

Sebastian felt a little slighted by her choice of words, but he didn't let it show. He figured, from the cheerfulness in her voice, he knew who she was talking to. Looking down, he found that pebble he'd kicked aside and rolled it around under the toe of his shoe, waiting.

"Dinner?" Lily questioned, stopping to look at Sebastian when he picked his head up to look at her. "Well, uh, no. I hadn't really solidified any plans, but I-"

"Don't worry about it," Sebastian told her, waving a dismissive hand.

"No, that's, uh-" Lily fumbled. "That was Sebastian, actually...Uh-huh. Yeah, we were jus-...What? Oh, I-...No, I'll ask. Hold on." Turning the phone from her ear, Lily opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Would you want to come to dinner with, uh, me and Alex?"

A wide smile unfurled across Sebastian's face and he snorted, more than a little surprised and dubious of the offer. "Dinner?" he repeated. "With you and your stuntman?"

Lily's head tipped to the side, immediately exhausted by his chuckling. She went back to her call, saying, "Yeah, he's-"

"I'd love to," he smiled, speaking loud enough to be sure he was heard on the other end of the line. "Sounds like fun."

Lily gaped, sending him a dirty look. "Uh-huh," she nodded to the phone. "Sounds good. I'll let him know...See you soon...Bye." Lily looked to make sure the call was ended, before scowling at Sebastian. "You dirty son of a bitch."

"What?" he laughed, holding his hands up, innocently, by his shoulders. "You asked."

"Because he could hear me," she pointed out.

"I won't go," he told her. "I just wanted to see you have a meltdown."

"I'm not having a meltdown," she argued. "It's just- You don't even like him."

"I _do_ like him," Sebastian insisted. "Remember, that's why I hate him?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Lily grumbled, rolling her eyes and letting her head fall back. "Are you _trying_ to kill me?"

"Relax, Benny," he chuckled. "I won't go."

"You have to," she said, flipping a hand at him. "Now, he's expecting you."

"Fine." Sebastian held up his hands in surrender. "Stop begging. I'll go."

Lily held up a finger, wagging it in front of him. "Oh, no no no no no," she warned. "You are not gonna-"

"I'll be good," Sebastian promised. He shrugged his shoulders, optimistically adding, "Could be fun."


	45. Chapter 45

"Ohh, what are you doooing?" Sebastian muttered to himself, as his cab pulled up to the curb in front of Mastro's Steakhouse.

He knew he was being a shit for accepting Alex's friendly offer for him to join them at dinner. He knew, from the slightly aghast look on Lily's face, that he'd put a toe too far over the line. But Sebastian, literally, couldn't back out now. He could actually see the valet pull away from the curb with Lily's Maserati, when his taxi was pulling over. If he walked fast enough, he'd probably be able to meet her at the hostess station.

His fare paid and driver tipped, Sebastian stood outside and looked over the front of the restaurant. He wiped his hand across his mouth, dragging it down over his chin, and debated bowing out with a last minute apology text, but decided against it. He didn't want to insult Alex or embarrass Lily by not showing. With an uneasy sigh, Sebastian's lips ticked back into a tight frown. He shook his head once and headed inside.

It was a small relief not to see any familiar faces in the foyer of the chophouse. When it was his turn to step up to the hostess station, he gave Alex's name to note the reservation he was with and the hostess smiled brightly. The young woman invited Sebastian to follow her upstairs and he was shown to their table. Set closer to the back of the restaurant, away from the windows and the noisier atmosphere of the patio above the street, Sebastian was relieved to see the table set for six. Sebastian relaxed a little more seeing Angela and her husband, Jeff, already seated with Lily and Alex. Angela noticed his arrival first, throwing up a hand to wave, as the hostess gestured him to seat himself and dismissed herself.

"You made it," Angela enthusiastically said.

Sebastian ignored the wag of her eyebrow, cocking his head and giving her a lopsided smile. "Hi, Ang. Am I late?"

"Right on time," Alex noted, as Sebastian took a seat next to Jeff at the end of the table.

Lily flashed Sebastian a smile, before Angela spoke up for her attention. He exchanged some pleasantries with Jeff, saying how he'd missed him a couple months ago when he'd met the ladies at the bar. Everyone mingled for a few minutes, glancing over the menu. The waiter came by to check on the table and Alex explained they were waiting for one more person.

As the waiter left, Sebastian took the initiative to make small talk and ask Alex, "Who's missing?"

"Mm," Alex nodded, stalling to finish swallowing his drink. "Friend of mine," he explained, setting his glass down. "Paul Taggert? You might know him."

"That sounds kinda familiar," Sebastian thought out loud, trying to place the name.

"Producer," Alex went on. "Was with Marvel for about five years. He worked on the first two Captain America movies. He left and started up his own production company a couple years ago."

"Right," Sebastian nodded, the little bit of info bringing a face to mind. "Yeah, I remember him."

"He's been trying to get Alex into producing," Lily mentioned and Sebastian couldn't decide if it sounded like she was bragging or not. "If you guys weren't here, he'd probably try again."

"That's uh," Sebastian searched his memory for a name, "Bare Hands Films, right?" Alex nodded. "Yeah, they won with Carry On last year at Sundance, didn't they?"

"Yeah," Alex smiled. "It's kinda blown up for them since."

Sebastian quirked up an eyebrow at Lily, when she peeked over the top of her menu at him. She gave a small shake of her head, a move that he thought looked like he had somehow stolen some of her thunder. He wasn't exactly getting a warm vibe from Lily. He gave a sweep of his own head, turning his attention back down to his menu, as Alex mentioned a couple other highlights of his friend's latest venture.

"Sounds like a good opportunity," Sebastian offered. "You lose interest in acting?"

"Oh, hell, no," Alex grimaced and Sebastian laughed at his strong reaction. "Are you kidding? I really just got here. I'm not done yet. But it's nice to know there's a plan B."

"Or retirement plan," Sebastian seconded.

"Exactly," Alex agreed.

Lily rolled her eyes and Angela kicked her under the table. They sent each other intense looks, both meant to tell the other to behave. But Lily couldn't help herself. Seeing first hand how Sebastian and Alex really could get along put a twist in her stomach in a way she couldn't quite explain. She was nervous about how easily they chatted, like they were old friends. She had the irrational thought that, somehow, they'd end up having a conversation about her and Sebastian would tell Alex about Montauk and their kiss in her kitchen. And just as quickly as the nightmare scenario came to mind, she pushed the thought away, brought back to the moment by Alex welcoming Paul to the table.

"Hey, speak of the devil," Alex joked. "We were just talking about you." He stood to shake his friend's hand and, while he was up, gestured to Sebastian. "You know Sebastian, right?"

"Yeah," Paul smiled, shaking Sebastian's hand, as he took the empty seat across from Sebastian. "Been a long time. Congratulations on Civil War. My boys  _loved_ it."

"Hey, thanks," Sebastian smiled, humbly. "Yeah, good to see you."

At the end of the table, the talk turned from Paul's sons to Marvel and movies and Lily looked on like she was having an out of body experience. She took a large drink of water and focused on her menu. Her phone buzzed on the table and Lily slipped it down into her lap to check her message, discreetly.

Angela: This dinner is weird as fuck 0_o

Lily looked up at Angela across the way, just as her phone buzzed again.

Angela: Are they friends?? It's like they're friends

After a quick check to see if anyone, besides Angela, was paying attention, Lily started typing.

Lily: Thank god it's not just me

Angela: Twilight zone

Lily: Where's the waiter?

Angela: We need booze

Lily: Amen

Their prayers were answered when the attentive server came to the table to take cocktails orders and answer questions about the menu. With drinks on the way, Lily set aside her menu, sipping her water while Paul went on about the new project his company had just greenlit. Soon, drinks came and meals were ordered. Lily had never been so happy to have a cocktail in her hand, as the men had taken to laughter over a joke about a guy they all knew. Angela and Lily shared a wide eyed look of disbelief and lifted their glasses to each other before a large swallow.

Dinner was actually good. The company was energetic and food delicious. After a couple of drinks, Lily relaxed enough to participate a little more. She and Sebastian spoke with the others about the table read and answered questions about the filming schedule. Lily managed to stop being self-conscious about Alex's hand on hers or his arm across the back of her chair in front of Sebastian, when the second bottle of wine was opened with dinner. By the end of the night, she had started to accept this fresh hell might, in fact, be her new life- her in love with her best friend and her boyfriend being actual friends.

She went downstairs with her arm linked with Angela's. The guys followed behind, in their own world, talking about a script being floated around that Lily admittedly lost track of the details for about five minutes ago. The ladies caught a glimpse of some waiting paparazzi outside the doors and stopped in the foyer, looking each other over. Satisfied they would make a good picture, Lily and Angela gave their attention to the others again, waiting for the goodbyes to begin. Sebastian had noticed the girls' preening and snickered, shaking his head at Lily.

Digging into his pocket for the valet ticket, Alex pecked a kiss to Lily's cheek, telling her, "I'll get the car up." He turned to Sebastian, offering his hand and smiling, "Sebastian, good to see you again. Glad you could make it out."

"Yeah, me too," Sebastian agreed, giving Alex's hand a firm shake.

"We need to do this again, sometime," he suggested.

"Oh, yeah," Sebastian nodded. "Definitely."

After his good night to the group, Paul walked out with Alex. Angela and Jeff lingered a little longer, for a more personal goodbye to Sebastian. They found out where he was staying and offered him a ride back to his hotel. Sebastian accepted and Jeff suggested Sebastian wait a few minutes for the valet to bring their car around. He agreed and, with a last hug and kiss to Lily, it was just Sebastian and Lily left.

It was quiet for several awkward seconds, before Lily spoke up. "Well, I hope you had fun."

Sebastian turned to grin at her, for a moment, saying, "I did. Thanks, Lil."

"I can't believe you actually came," she muttered, rolling her eyes across the ceiling.

"It was a nice time, Lil," he dryly reminded her, pocketing his hands. "Everybody had fun. ...I even saw you smile once or twice." He nudged her with his elbow and she looked down at where his arm touched hers. "Admit it, it was a good time."

Lily chewed on the inside of her lip, before shrugging, "Yeah, I guess."

"That's the enthusiasm I was looking for," he smiled. "I said I'd be good, and I was."

"You were," she nodded. "Thank you."

"It's not hard to do, Lil," he pointed out. "Like I said, he's a good guy. Paul, too. I know how to do Hollywood. And you know me and Jeff and Ang. You don't need to thank me for hanging out with friends."

"You know why I-" she began.

"I know," he interrupted, looking down for a moment. "It kinda hurts my feelings, though...you thinking I'd come here to sabotage you or embarrass you or something, you know?"

Lily's breath hitched. She could feel it stop in her throat. "I didn't-"

"You don't have to," Sebastian cut in, turning his attention back up to her and letting his head tip tiredly to the side. "I know I shouldn'ta come," he raised and let a helpless hand fall in a shrug, "but I opened my mouth and you said he was expecting me an'-" He shook his head. "It was a joke I took too far. Sorry, if I made things uncomfortable."

Her eyes wandered over him, as she worried her lip again. "I'm-" she started and stopped, letting out a small sigh. "I know you didn't mean anything by it." Lily shrugged, shaking her head. "You're right" she smiled. "Everyone had fun. I'm happy you two get along." Lily nodded to herself, not quite sure who she was trying to convince more, her or Sebastian. "I am glad you came," she assured him, with a small, but warm, grin. "Thanks."

Sebastian nodded his acceptance, rocking back on his heels, and it was quiet for another long moment. "Hey," he spoke up, holding up his palm in offering, "I'm, uh, gonna see my dad, tomorrow. Gonna meet him at his place for breakfast and, you know, catch up. ...You wanna come along?" Lily couldn't help the charmed smile that spread across her lips. "I know he'd get a kick out of seein' ya again."

"Interrupt your time with your dad?" she checked, with a shy smile. "Oh, no. I coul-" Lily gave a small wave of refusal across the front of her. "You're not out here enough. That wouldn't be fair. You should have that time with him."

"It's been awhile," he reminded her, but she shook her head.

"But you'll tell him I said hello?" Lily hoped.

"Of course," he exaggeratedly scoffed, hoping to mask his disappointment from her, with the over the top reaction. Sebastian tipped his head toward the door. "Your car's probably here."

"Probably," she agreed, combing her fingers back through the side of her hair and fluffing it over her shoulder. Lily turned to face him. "Do I look okay?"

"Come on," Sebastian frowned. "Really? You're asking _me_?" He pointed back at himself. "Don't you think I'm a little biased?"

"You're no help at all," she smirked. "That's what you are."

"You look great, Lil," he promised, opening his arms to her, as she stepped forward for a hug. Sebastian dotted a kiss to her cheek before she moved back. With a fond smile, he encouraged, "Knock 'em dead."

Lily laughed, on her way to the door, a faint heat passing through her cheeks. She stopped, her hand just short of the handle, and turned back to ask, "Hey, after you see your dad, how about that second breakfast you owe me?"

Sebastian moved to met Lily at the door, smiling at her. "I s'pose I could squeeze you in," he shrugged.

Tipping her head toward the door, Lily told him, "I'm holding you to that."

She leaned in to the door to push it open. As soon as she could be seen, the flashbulbs of the photographer's on the sidewalk came to life. Lily smiled, politely, heading straight for her car. As the valet opened the door for her, Lily waved back at Sebastian, on his way to meet Jeff on the sidewalk next to his car. The valet shut her door for her and Alex pulled away from the curb, inching into traffic as the paparazzi shuffled around the Maserati for one last chance for a picture to sell.


	46. Chapter 46

Lily made it to the gym in the morning. Only a few paparazzi managed to cross her path on the way out. They gave up following her, after she stopped at Starbucks for an iced coffee and they realized she was headed home. Temps were flaring again in LA and, by the time she finished a quick, but refreshing, dip in the pool, the "iced" part of her beverage was long gone. It was just about noon and Lily hadn't heard from Sebastian yet. She went to take a shower and clean up. When she emerged from the bathroom, still cooling off in a satiny kimono and her hair twisted up in a towel, she laughed at seeing a string of messages and missed call notifications waiting for her.

Sebastian had called while she was in the bathroom. When she didn't answer, he sent her a few attention getting texts. Without a reply to those, he resorted to sending several pictures of sad faced hobbits. Lily laughed, despite the stricken faces of Frodo, Sam, and Pippin. She called him back, right away, dropping down onto the end of her bed and pulling the towel off her hair while the phone rang.

"You're alive!"

"Of course, I am," Lily laughed at the way Sebastian answered. "Sorry. I went to the gym earlier. Got in the pool and needed a shower."

"Oo," he purred. "You dirty girl."

"Not anymore," she corrected him. "All clean now. And I hope you're not talking like that in front of your dad, you little perv."

Sebastian chuckled. "No. I'm actually on my way back to the hotel, since I didn't get a hold of you."

"Well, just come over," she told him, standing up to hang her towel up in the bathroom. "I should be dressed, by the time you get here."

"You sure know how to disappoint a guy, Lil," he complained, with a chuckle.

Lily rolled her eyes and shook her head, with a grin on her face. "You're terrible."

"Hold on a second," Sebastian said, telling his driver the new address to take him to. He went back to Lily, asking, "You hungry? Wanna go out and grab something to eat?"

"Hungry? Yes," Lily answered, pinching her phone between her shoulder and ear, as she stopped in front of the dresser in her oversized closet. Pulling open the center drawer to grab a pair of underwear, she decided, "But out? No. It's hot as balls outside. If I put makeup on for the paps, it'll melt off my face."

"Oh, I see," he groaned. "You'll get dolled up for the paps, but you don't even try for me."

"I woke up on the floor at Chace's apartment, after your birthday a few years ago," she reminded him, shimmying on her panties under her robe. Lily grabbed her phone before it slipped from her shoulder. "Once you've seen that, you shouldn't keep the bar set so high."

"Looked alright to me," Sebastian recalled.

Lily stopped, taking a second to shake her head and let out a quiet snort of derision. "We have _got_ to raise your standards, Bas."

Sebastian ignored her, telling her, "I'll be there in, like, twenty minutes."

"Fine," she smiled.

A little over twenty minutes later, Lily hit the button to unlock the pedestrian gate at the street. She snickered, at seeing Sebastian's face craned obnoxiously close to the security camera, with a slow shake of her head, walking to the front door. Lily beat him there, straightening one arm to hold the door open and leaning her shoulder into the doorjamb.

"You're late," she pointed out, having straightened her face into an unamused expression.

Sebastian shrugged, pocketing his hands and taking his time to step heavily onto each of the three steps up to her door. "You waited," he noted, scuffing to a stop in front of her. "What does that say about you?"

Lily quirked up a cocky eyebrow, watching him dip to move under her arm and invite himself in. "That I live here," she figured, "and I was going to be here anyway?"

"Touché," he smiled. "Pretty clever, Lil."

Shutting the door, she shook her head, with a smile, and caught up with him in her living room. "How's your dad?" 

"He's good," Sebastian nodded, happily, with a warm smile. "Told him you said, hi. He says, hi back."

"I like your dad," she fondly said. "What's he been up to lately?"

"Same old same old," he shrugged. "He's thinking about buying a new car. The neighbor's dog has a spot on his snout that makes him look like Hitler and he stares at my dad when he goes out for the mail. Creeps him out." Lily couldn't help a laugh. "Other than that, no complaints. Went to see the space shuttle at the California Science Center. You been?"

"No," Lily shook her head, her brow rising at the unfortunate realization, "I don't think I've been there since before Mom-"

Lily stopped, blinking and shaking away the mention of her mom with a sweep of her head, trying to think instead of when was the last time she'd been to the science museum. Sebastian watched her, not realizing he'd stopped breathing when she stopped speaking, in the brief moment of silence. Lily's mouth shut, a sheepish grin flashing in her lips, before she changed directions.

"Don't think I've been to any museum since the Broad redid their Warhols," she said, trying to brighten her tone. "And that was, geez, like, three years ago?"

Sebastian scrambled, hoping to keep the conversation heading in a better direction, holding out his upturned palm with the quick suggestion, "You should go, sometime then. It's pretty neat."

"I may do that," she nodded, with a thoughtful smile. An awkward quiet fell in the room again, before Lily spoke up. "It's after 12:30. You hungry now?" she asked, jerking her thumb toward the kitchen.

"Yeah," he said, with a casual frown, as his brow rose in a shrug. "I could eat. How 'bout you?"

Lily turned, starting for the kitchen. She heard him fall into step behind her, as she agreed, "I am. What do you want?"

"You're cooking?" The skeptical question came with the sound of a small chuckle and Lily scowled at him over her shoulder.

Sebastian stopped to fold his arms and lean onto the bar end of the kitchen island, watching Lily continue on to the refrigerator. "I'm not completely useless," she dryly told him.

Snickering, he assured her, "Whatever's fine."

Lily opened the fridge, pondering the options in front of her for a moment. She cocked her head, in a halfhearted shrug of sorts, and began pulling items from the shelves and drawers. When she was done, she sidestepped to the cupboard beside the oven, pulling out a pair of skillets. Sebastian lifted his chin, looking over the food she'd set out on the counter.

"Breakfast?" he mused. "At 1 in the afternoon?"

"You said we'd do second breakfast when you came back," she reminded him. Lily waved a hand over the containers and bags on the counter on her way to the utensil draw. "Sooo..."

"Nice," he agreed, with a smug smile, adding, under his breath, "Nerd."

Pointing a spatula at him in warning, Lily stooped to get a couple of small mixing bowls from the cabinets under the island. "Be nice," she sang. 

"Always." He flashed her an angelic smile that stuck around even after she had turned her back to him at the counter. "What's on the menu?"

"Uhh," Lily trailed off, scanning over the items on the marble in front of her. "French toast, eggs. We've got some bacon. I just got some grapes and stuff at the store, so we can do fruit salad. Some peppers and onion for the eggs." She moved the loaf of bread to peek down underneath it. "We could do-"

"You had me at bacon," Sebastian cut her off, waving a hand through the air to end the discussion. Walking around the side of the island, he asked, "Anything I can do?"

Lily fished out the package of bacon from the pile of foodstuffs and handed it to him to open. She pulled a knife from the block and set it aside on the cutting board. She moved around him, picking a red and green pepper from the hanging baskets of fruits and vegetables near the sink. Rinsing them off, Lily dried off the peppers and put them down next to her knife. She pointed out the cabinet with the baking sheets in it, beside the stove, telling Sebastian to lay out the bacon for the oven, to keep the stovetop from getting too cluttered.

After setting the oven to preheat, Lily began cracking eggs on the side of one of the mixing bowls. Without further direction, Sebastian went to work on dicing the peppers and a small onion he noticed still in the vegetable basket. And it went on like that, Lily mixing the batter for the French toast, like her mother had taught her when she was a girl, and whisking the eggs, while Sebastian chopped and sorted the bits into separate piles on the large glass cutting board. With the bacon in the oven, Sebastian watched Lily dip and grill the bread, using the upper half of her double oven to keep the toast warm while she scraped ingredients into the mixed eggs in the second skillet. Sebastian plucked grapes from their stems, dropping them in a bowl, while Lily cooked. When he was finished, Sebastian watched her work, sprinkling cheese into the eggs she scrambled and adding dashes of salt and pepper for good measure, as he folded his arms comfortably over his chest and leaned against the counter.

Seeing she was almost done, he opened cupboard doors and drawers, until he found the plates and forks. He put the plates down by the stove as Lily was retrieving the bacon and French toast from the ovens. The kitchen was warm and smelled delicious, and Sebastian smirked, watching her scoop out eggs onto a plate.

"Thought you didn't cook," he teasingly recalled.

"I don't," she snorted. "But you'd have to be an idiot to screw up breakfast, right?"

Stabbing his fork into the pile of fluffy eggs, as she turned to get the bacon, Sebastian figured, "We'll find out how stupid you are, in a second."

Playfully offended, Lily gaped and smacked his arm. Luckily, his fork was already in his mouth, or he'd have dropped the eggs. He nodded as he chewed, his brow creasing down at his regrettable decision to not let the food cool for a moment before putting it in his mouth.

"Not bad, Benny," he decided, giving her a thumbs up, as he inhaled through an "O" shaped mouth to cool the momentary burn on his tongue.

Lily smiled, pleased for his approval and amused by his little face. "Thanks," she told him, reaching up into the cupboard for syrup and powdered sugar.

They moved to the kitchen island to eat, making a couple trips to bring plates with the extra food over. Lily poured orange juice for them and Sebastian was already sprinkling powdered sugar onto his French toast when she finally sat down. They ate for a couple minutes in silence, enjoying the food while it was still freshly hot, before Sebastian spoke up.

"You ever stop to think about how weird this is?" he asked, ahead of a drink of juice.

Lily stopped, looking over the meal in front of them. "Something wrong?" she worried.

"No," he shook his head, taking up his fork again. "I mean, _this_." He gestured around the kitchen. "Like, do you ever stop and think, like, how'd you get here? How ridiculous this house is, the goofy shit we do for a living, and how we're just sitting here, eating breakfast at-" He turned his wrist to see his watch. "1:36 in the afternoon, like this is completely normal?"

"All the time," she nodded, her eyes wide for emphasis.

"I mean, don't get me wrong," Sebastian excused himself, "this is a great house."

"But it's just me," Lily nodded, "and I have five bedrooms.  _Five_. What the hell do I need five bedrooms for?"

" _Really_?" he checked. "I thought it was four." 

She shook her head. "Five."

"You could rent rooms when the circus comes to town," he suggested.

"Isn't that what I did when you used to stay here?" she quipped and Sebastian nearly did a spit take with his o.j.

"Very funny," Sebastian groaned, with a smile. "Why did you buy this big ass place, anyway?"

Lily shrugged, finishing chewing on the forkful of eggs in her mouth before she told him, "Privacy."

"You couldn't find a nice two bedroom somewhere?" he smirked, cutting a bite of French toast.

"Have you seen that gate you came through?" she chuckled, jerking her thumb over her shoulder toward the front of the house. "You'd need a rope to scale that wall. The only thing this place is missing for security is a pack of dobermans to release."

"Neighbors nice?" he asked.

"Beats the hell outta me," Lily shrugged, popping a grape into her mouth. "High walls, big yards. We don't bother each other. My gardener probably knows more about them than I do."

"Jesus, Lil," he chuckled.

"What?" she balked, trying not to laugh. "You know all your neighbors?"

"I know the ones in my hall and a couple from other floors," he acknowledged. 

"Well, aren't you just the social butterfly," she toasted, with a grin and a raise of her glass to salute the feat.

"Shame you gotta live like this, Benny," Sebastian decided.

"You wouldn't believe some of the 'fan mail' I get," she uncomfortably promised him, marking the term with finger quotations. "The creeps that drive by and the weirdos that hang around on shoots." A small shudder went through her shoulders. "You know I've got nine restraining orders against people? Just right now, nine."

"Are you _serious_?" he gaped. Lily nodded and Sebastian wondered, "What, are you waiting 'til you hit ten to get the dobermans? Holy shit, Lil."

Lily had to snicker. It was absurded, but, "What can you do?"

"You've got four empty bedrooms here," Sebastain reminded her. "Get Drew and his people to move in, like, tomorrow."

Covering her hand to her mouth full of food, Lily laughed. She finished chewing, nodding, "See why I keep him around?"

Sebastian nodded, spearing another piece of French toast with his fork from the pile for his plate. "I didn't know it was that bad," he admitted.

"You get used to it," Lily shrugged. "You find good people, like Drew and his company, and try not to think about it too much."

"We should go to the pound, after this," he said. "See if they've got a pack of unemployed dobermans, or something. I'll pay for half."

"You're too kind," she smiled. 

"You're going up early, aren't you?" he asked.

"To Vancouver?" she checked and he nodded. "Yeah, I've gotta go up to this farm in North Vancouver for some riding lessons."

"I thought you already knew," he frowned, in concentration. "Didn't you say your mom used to take you?"

Lily hummed and nodded. "Last time I was on a horse was probably," she tried to recall, "...my second year at Tisch? Before Mom...you know." She shrugged again, carefully poking her fork into a grape on her plate. "Used to go to Central Park on the weekends, when I could."

"Well," Sebastian smiled, "I'm sure it's like riding a bike." His smile broadened, seeing Lily grin in reply, and he added, "I'm just happy they didn't write Pete on a horse."

"You've ridden a horse before," she pointed out.

"Oh, believe me," he nodded, "my nuts remember the experience well."

Lily burst into laughter, hiding her eyes behind her hand. "Oh, my god! What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," he shrugged, giggling himself. "I'm okay."

"No, you're not," Lily shook her head, sighing out her laughter.

"Is Drew gonna be back in time to go with you?" Sebastian got back on track.

Lily finished composing herself and shook her head. "No, but Ami's going up with me and Drew will catch up."

"Good," he nodded, still a bit creeped out thinking about stalkers and restraining orders. "Well, I guess, in a pinch, Alex probably knows how to throw a solid punch for you."

Pressing her lips together in a thin grin, Lily nodded, a little sheepishly agreeing, "Probably."

Sebastian caught a look up at her, watching for a second as the grin disappeared from her tight lips and she cut off a corner of her French toast. He changed the subject quickly, piping up with, "I haven't been to Vancouver. I'm counting on you for good restaurant recommendations."

The smile came back to Lily's face, as she looked up. "You got it."


	47. Chapter 47

Sebastian offered to help clean up the dishes. Lily waved him off, saying it would give her something to do later, but Sebastian insisted. While he scrubbed skillets in the sink, Lily made a pot of coffee. After all, any proper breakfast needed coffee. With his attention focused on the glass he was cleaning, Lily took the opportunity to snap a picture of a soapy handed Sebastian. She debated posting it to Instagram, with some clever comment about having a house elf she hadn't quite figured out yet, but decided against it, opting to keep it for some future blackmail opportunity.

Putting the last washed utensil aside, Sebastian rinsed off his hands, asking, "So, when exactly are you going up to Vancouver?"

"Friday," Lily said, taking down a pair of mugs from the cupboard. "My first lesson is Saturday morning."

"Still think it's funny they're making you do that," he snorted.

"Insurance CYA," she shrugged. "It'll be fun. Like an extra little vacation." Lily handed him a cup of coffee. "When are you going up?"

"Two weeks," he told her, spooning sugar into his drink. "I think you're scheduled a couple days before I am."

Lily hummed and nodded. "I am." She nudged him with her elbow, as she turned to go back to her seat at the kitchen island, calling him, "You lazy bum."

"Hey," he frowned, looking quite offended. "I'm pretty sure I've done more this year than you have."

"That's probably true," she admitted, with a thoughtful cock of her head. "Guess I'm the slacker."

"Damn right," he nodded, jabbing an accusing finger at her. "You oughta be ashamed of yourself."

"I am," she assured him, with a giggle. "Terribly."

Sebastian squinted a discerning eye at her, deciding, "No, you're not."

They both laughed and it was quiet, as they each tasted their coffee. After a long minute, Lily asked, "So, when do you go home?"

"Tomorrow," he told her, giving his spoon another swirl in his cup.

Lily hummed, thoughtfully, looking into her own coffee. "What's on your agenda for the rest of the day?" 

She was just making conversation. The room felt weird, when no one was speaking. Sebastian shrugged, with an contemplative frown and arch of his eyebrow, and took the spoon out of his mug.

"No big adventure with the guys?" Lily playfully pressed. 

"Nah," he shook his head, with a crooked grin. "Had dad penciled in for today." Sebastian held his hand out to reference Lily, adding, "And, of course, for second breakfast with you."

"Of course," Lily beamed.

"What about you?" he inquired. "Gonna get another massage? Maybe do a little shoe shopping?"

"I do other things, besides pamper myself," she assured him. "Sometimes I make French toast for Romanian vagabonds."

"That's true," he agreed, with a smirk. "So, what _are_ you doing today?"

"Nothing," Lily confidently declared.

"Let's go somewhere," he said.

"It's fuckin' hot out," she complained. "I'm staying in the air conditioning."

"Fine," he conceded, with an indifferent pout. "We'll go somewhere with air conditioning." Sebastian thought for a moment, while Lily chuckled. "I know," he realized. "Let's go to the museum."

"The museum," Lily repeated, a little wary.

"Yeah," Sebastian insisted, with a firm nod. "You said so yourself, you can't remember last time you went to the science museum. Let's go there."

"You were just there this morning," she reminded him. "You wanna go back?"

Sebastain gave her a tired purse of his lips and cocked his head, pointing a finger up at his face, saying, "Benny- Babe, come on. ...It's me. Why _wouldn't_ I want to go back?"

Lily laughed, folding her arms and leaning in to the edge of the island countertop. She shook her head and the laughter from her voice, saying, "Oh, my god. I swear, you're the biggest nerd I know."

"I'm the _best_ nerd you know," he corrected. Sebastian smiled, watching her roll her eyes at him. "C'mon, Benny. Let's go."

"I don't know," she grumbled.

He bribed her, offering, "I'll buy you some astronaut ice cream..."

"The Neapolitan kind," she tested, "or the ice cream sandwich one?"

"Which ever one you want," Sebastian promised. Thinking quickly, he suggested, "Or both...if you're good."

Lily smiled, holding her lower lip in her teeth, while she debated. A science museum wasn't exactly high on the list of places she was likely to be recognized at. For a week day, it was probably busy with class field trips chaperoned by adults too busy herding their charges to pay anyone else much mind. It was possible. And it was almost impossible to ignore the hopeful eyes above Sebastian's boyish grin.

"Okay," Lily reluctantly consented. "Let's go to the museum."

Sebastian straightened up, a proud grin pulling across his lips. "Let's go to the museum," he happily seconded.

"You know," Lily realized, before a quick sip of coffee, "I'm supposed to call for security if I go anywhere."

"Really?" he frowned. "You're gonna have some Secret Service looking guy follow us around? That'll be subtle. It's just a museum."

"I know," she whined, scrunching her nose at how wimpy it made her sound. "But Drew sa-"

"So, call someone," Sebastian interrupted, with a shrug. "Activate the National Guard, or whatever you do, and let's go."

Lily let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes at him. "It'd be, like, one guy," she grumbled, taking out her phone, "not the National Guard."

"Maybe it should be," Sebastian sarcastically reconsidered. "You _are_ a national treasure, Lil."

With her phone to her ear, waiting for the receptionist to answer her call, Lily flipped off Sebastian. He flashed a toothy smile, ahead of a drink of his coffee. Lily just shook her head at him, perking up a bit when the line was connected.

"MPS. This is Toni. How can I help you?"

"Hi, Toni," Lily smiled into the call. "It's Lily Benjamin, account 4238. How are you doing today?"

"Don't kiss ass," Sebastian whispered. "You don't know her."

"Ms. Benjamin, hello," Toni cheerfully replied. Lily put the call on speaker for Sebastian to catch the tail end of the receptionist adding, "I'm good. A little busy with Drew out of the office, but good. Sorry to slip out of the wedding without saying goodnight, but the sitter called and... Well, the night did not go according to plan."

Lily turned her hands up, quirking a smug eyebrow to say he'd just been proven wrong. "That's okay," Lily assured the receptionist. "It was nice to see you again, anyway. Hope the little one's okay."

"She is," Toni confirmed. "Just a bad stomach bug. Kids at school are just little Petri dishes. But anyway... I know we have Ami on call for you while Drew's gone. Did you need to talk to him or is there something else I can do for you today?"

"Going out for the afternoon," Lily told her. 

"Big adventure, Benny," Sebastian said.

Lily waved a hand to shush him, as Toni asked, "Where will you be headed?"

"Tell her it's top secret," Sebastian instructed, giving Lily a serious nod and wink. "Need to know only."

"The California Science Center," she answered, shaking her head at Sebastian.

"How many people will be joining you and do you have any other places you’ll be going?" Toni went on, Lily hoped, not hearing Sebastian's comments in the background.

"Just one guest," Lily told her. She looked pointedly at Sebastian and added, "It's me and a giant, annoying child today."

"I see," Toni chuckled. "Any other places?"

"To the moon, Alice," Sebastian softly threatened, shaking his fist. "Pow, right in the kisser."

"Let's leave it open ended," Lily decided. "I'll probably need a drink after this."

"Will we be picking you up from home?" Toni checked.

"Do they have, like, an armored car they pick you up i-"

Mouthing for him to 'stop it', Lily pointed a stern finger at Sebastian, while she spoke to the receptionist. "Yes, from home."

"Okay, Lily, I'll get Ami headed your way. Any special requests for today?" the receptionist wondered.

"Can they rope in from a helicopter?" he quietly pressed.

"No. Just a casual day out," Lily advised. "Nothing special."

"Ask if they have any dobermans," Sebastian told Lily, pointing down at her phone.

"Not a problem," Toni assured her. "Look for Ami in 25 minutes."

"Thanks, Toni," Lily smiled, at her phone on the counter.

"Anytime," she replied. "Enjoy your big adventure and our apologies that the helicopter is already booked."

A faint shade of red showed up in Sebastian's cheeks, while he sniggered and Lily said her goodbye. "You're such a pain in the ass," she groaned, picking up her phone again to put in her pocket.

"I didn't think she heard me," he apologetically explained.

"It was on speakerphone," Lily reminded him. "Of course, she'd hear you."

"I'm just impressed you didn't farm that call out to your assistant," he smirked.

"Boy," Lily shook her head, "you are gonna be one sassy bag of fun today, aren't you?"

"You're excited," Sebastian decided. "Admit it. Sebastian and Lilian's Day of Fun."

"Maybe I need that drink, _before_ we go."

Lily ignored Sebastian's comment about Drew's people working like Swiss clocks, when Ami pulled into the gate precisely 25 minutes later. They met him outside, as Ami was just parking the black SUV. He opened the back door for Lily and Sebastian, with a smile. Sebastian was surprised to see the professional body guard clad in a black CBGB tee and cargo shorts, instead of the typical suit. Sebastian nodded, with an approving frown and thumbs up, to Ami's reminder of the defunct punk spot from back home.

"They come in 'casual friday'?" Sebastian quipped, before Ami was back in the car.

"They dress for whatever I tell them we're doing," Lily shrugged, obviously used to the chameleon-like practice. "Formal event gets a suit or tux and so on."

"Your life is so weird, Benny," Sebastian decided, with a smile and sweep of his head. "We might actually pull this off."

Lily snickered. "What, you thought we'd get busted?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, as the chauffeured car left the driveway. "Wasn't expecting this though. It's like it's laundry day."

"If you want," she offered, "we can go back and get all dressed up for the museum, if it's too unusual for you."

"No," Sebastian chuckled. "This is fine."

At the museum, the trio was just another group of people wondering around. They blended in perfectly, looking over the museum map and exhibit flyers they picked up when they came in, with Lily in a plain v-neck tee and distressed cut off jeans. Subtly hidden under a Dodgers cap, a left over accessory from her last boyfriend, Lily snapped a few photographs to share on her social media pages later.

With a late start, there wasn't much time to see everything. Instead, they spent their time in the air and space exhibit. Lily smiled at the genuine enthusiasm Sebastian spoke with, while they took in the majestic sight of the retired space shuttle on display. She confessed her jealousy for his experience of working on The Martian; for getting to work with Ridley Scott and, even more so, for the trip to NASA he went on during the movie's press tour.

They had a few minutes to spare before the museum closed and Sebastian tugged Lily's arm to follow him to the gift shop at the end of the exhibit. She shadowed him around a few displays, until he stopped at an end cap lined with rows of packages of freeze dried astronaut ice cream. Lily let out a laugh, shaking her head as he swept his hand over the racks, doing his best Vanna White and presenting her with her options.

"You were good," he noted. He held up a pair of fingers, rewarding her by saying, "You can pick two."

"You're too generous," she giggled, her eyes running over the flavors.

"I keep my promises," Sebastian said, with a confident nod. He looked to their security guard, adding, "Ami, my man, come on. My treat."

Ami held up his hand, declining, with a smile, "No, I'm okay. Thanks."

"Oh, come on," Lily playfully groaned, slapping a pair of foil packages into Ami's palm. "Take 'em home for the kids then."

Neither of them took no for an answer, when their escort tried to protest. It only took an expectant arch of Lily's eyebrow for Ami to accept defeat. For herself, Lily picked a pair of dehydrated ice cream sandwiches. She added them to the small stack Sebastian carried, after collecting Ami's desserts to take to the register and buy. While Sebastian waited in line, Lily eyed the selection of space and science themed merchandise, with Ami inconspicuously by her side. She picked out a blue ball cap, with the NASA logo on the front, and went to stand with Sebastian at the end of the short line.

He smirked at her selection, looking up to her from the hat in her hands. "Nerd."

"That's cool," Lily said, setting her hat on top of the pile of small packages in Sebastian's hand.

She walked away, leaving him to make her purchase, while Ami snickered at the scene and followed Lily back into the middle of the shop. Sebastian looked after Lily, snorting softly to himself and shaking his head. He happily paid for all of the items in his hands, smacking Lily in the butt from behind with the shopping bag, as he met her and Ami to leave. Lily jumped, spinning around to slap the back of her hand across his arm and scowl at him for as long as she could before a smile broke across her face. Sebastian didn't mind the sting in his arm. He knew he deserved it. It was Lily's smile that made him forget it actually did hurt for a moment and made his heart soar.


	48. Chapter 48

Walking back to Ami's company car, Sebastian fished out Lily's hat for her. Lily pulled off the price tag and swapped her Dodgers hat for her new one, taking a fitting to get the right adjustment to the snap back. By the time they were back in the SUV, Sebastian had a package of her ice cream in hand, ready for her. Lily accepted the treat with a cheerful smile and giggled while Sebastian opened his own dessert. Biting into the corner of her authentic astronaut food, Lily kept a grin on her lips, happy for her field trip with Sebastian and the nostalgia of the treat.

"That was fun," Lily decided, with a confident smile.

"Oh, yeah?" Sebastian proudly mused. "See? I have good ideas sometimes."

"Once in a while," she winked.

The commute from the museum back to Lily's house in Beverly Glen was stymied by rush hour. By the time they reached West Los Angeles, Lily had already posted a pic from the museum each to her Instagram and Twitter accounts. She leaned into the empty space of the backseat to show the pictures to Sebastian. Sebastian tipped over to join her, thumbing through his own pictures for Lily to see from his visit with his dad earlier in the day. As traffic crawled along, inspiration struck Sebastian. And the enthusiasm showed on his face, when he saw a highway sign and suggested, "Let's go to Santa Monica."

Lily let out a laugh, noting, "That's random." She looked him up and down. "Why?"

He peeked out the windshield to double check, "If we stay on the Ten, we'll be right there."

"Yeah," she warily agreed. "But why?"

"You live in LA," Sebastian reminded her. "Do I really have to tell you all the stuff to do in Santa Monica?"

"No," Lily scoffed, trying her best, but failing, to scowl at him. "I know what's in Santa Monica, you little shit."

"Then let's go," he insisted, waving his hand out to reference the road ahead of them.

"I need a fast decision on Santa Monica," Ami chimed in, from behind the wheel. "Exit's coming up."

Lily groaned, chewing on her lower lip, while Sebastian incessantly nudged her arm with his elbow. "C'mon, Benny. It's still early."

"Ugh, fine," she decided. "We'll go. Let's go. We're going!" Lily gave Sebastian's arm a shove, telling him, "Now, stop."

Sebastian beamed proudly. "You'll have fun, Lil. I promise."

Ami found a place to park in one of the lots near the pier. The heat seemed to be warding off some of the visitors. More people, it seemed, were there for the beach rather than the entertainment. Still, Lily wasn't completely comfortable walking around in the public. At least Sebastian had taken her suggestion to put on her Dodgers cap. She didn't want the way he got spotted by fans in New York to turn into an LA thing.

Walking around the shops, Lily and Sebastian joked about signing up for trapeze classes and going to muscle beach to work out. Lily took an insta worthy pic of the Route 66 sign for later. They took rides on the scrambler and roller coaster. It took a little goading, but Sebastian pestered Lily into riding the Pacific Plunge. He sniggered the entire time the gondalas rose up the tower. Lily refused to take off her hat, muttering profanities at him during the 9-story ascent. She wasn't necessarily afraid of heights, but she argued she definitely did not tempt fate. Even Ami chuckled from his seat in the middle of the car, acting as a buffer from the other riders for Sebastian and Lily's privacy.

"Check out the view, Benny," Sebastian urged, managing to stop giggling, when the ride reached its peak.

"Yeah, I see it," she grumbled, taking a look around.

When the ride dropped, the shriek from Lily elicited a roar of laughter from Sebastian. With one hand clamped over her head, holding her hat, and the other firmly attached to Sebastian's forearm in fright, Lily put a curse on Sebastian he didn't quite catch the details of. She didn't repeat it, when their feet were back on firm ground again, but voodoo or no, it didn't stop Sebastian from teasing her.

"Safe to say, you'll never be an astronaut, Lil," he decided. "You should probably return that hat. I've still got the receipt."

"Shut up," she scowled at him.

It took her a minute to warm up to him again. At the long range basketball stand, Sebastian sank buckets and won a prize; his choice of one of a few designs of nylon covered toys of Marvel character heads. He let Lily choose and she picked out the ball that looked like Captain America. 

"I'd have picked the Bucky one, if they had him," she'd assured Sebastian, bumping his arm as they moved along the boardwalk.

Sebastian argued it wasn't fair that Ami won the water race game. After all, the man had the experience of a being an actual trained soldier, versus Sebastian's on-screen background with weapons. Ami told him not to take it too personally, handing the little plush bear he won to Sebastian. It was Lily's turn to laugh at Sebastian, and she reveled in it. Even after he shoved the bear into her hands and walked over to The Coffee Bean for a iced drink, mumbling in Romanian and twisting to point accusingly back at her as he quietly complained. He sulked for a couple of minutes in line, until Lily joined him. She walked the bear up over his shoulder, nuzzling its nose into Sebastian's cheek until he broke down and smiled, swatting her and the bear away with a laugh.

Without a scorecard, Lily was pretty sure they had ridden all the rides and tried all the games on the boardwalk at least once. The sun was beginning to sink a little lower in the sky and the warm air was getting more and more tolerable with the breeze off the ocean. They stood off to the side, while Ami waited in the busy line, for their dinner from the Japadog stand. The crowd was a little dense and her bodyguard had reasoned it was best Lily and Sebastian avoid standing in the mix. After they ate, the trio wandered over to the ice cream stand for dessert before taking a ride on the ferris wheel.

As the wheel made its slow and pausing revolution, Sebastian snapped pictures of the views on his phone. Lily looked around, finishing the last of her soda from dinner and admiring the view. The noises from the park below and the ocean beside them was a muted soundtrack to the ride. Satisfied with his photos, Sebastian smiled as he turned to show Lily.

"Not bad, huh?" he boasted, showing off a well framed view of the lit up park beneath them.

Lily hummed and smiled, taking the phone from him to see his other shots. "You gonna post any of them?" she asked.

"Maybe later," he shrugged. "It'll give me something to do on the way home tomorrow." Lily handed him back his phone and the idea hit him to take a selfie. "Here," Sebastian said, sliding over on the seat to lean in with Lily and holding his phone out at arm's length.

Lily straightened up, fussing with some stray hairs that had escaped her hat throughout the busy afternoon. "Wait a second."

Sebastian sarcastically rolled his eyes and groaned. "You're killin' me, Lil," he told her, earning an elbow in the gut.

Sebastian took a pair of photos back to back and Lily insisted, reaching for his phone, "I get final approval."

"Nope," he shook his head, holding his phone out where she couldn't grab. "You waited too long to say it."

"Lemme see," she whined.

"No pouting on the ferris wheel, Benny," he playfully chided her. "They'll throw you off."

Sebastian let her see the photo on the screen, but didn't let her hold his phone. "I guess that looks okay," she admitted.

Snickering, Sebastian shook his head. "Geez, you're a hard sell," he said.

"Well," she shrugged, "if you're going to post a photo of me..."

"I won't," he told her, still grinning at her fussiness. "Maybe one of the other ones, but I won't share that one. Wouldn't want to make your boyfriend jealous."

"Oh, stop," Lily complained, taking her turn to roll her eyes at him now.

"I'm just kidding," Sebastian assured her. "Lighten up."

The higher they got, the quieter it became. In their metal car, the lack of conversation was noticeable. It was borferline awkward, at least to Lily. While her mind had time to wonder, she noticed she and Sebastian were still hip to hip. She straightened up, sliding over to put a few inches between them again. Sebastian took note, looking down at the small gap between them and then up at Lily.

"I don't have cooties," he promised, with a smirk.

Lily scrunched up her nose at him and followed his eyes down to the empty space, when he looked again. "Cooties?" she repeated. "What are you, 12?"

He snorted, his head ticking back, as his gaze panned over the view. "12. That's cute," Sebastian nodded. He slouched a little in the seat, crossing his feet at the ankles and laying his arms along the back of the car. "You sure know how to ruin a good time, Lil."

Actually offended, Lily gaped at him. "What'd I do?"

Sebastian jutted his chin, telling her, "Your snarky little 'What are you, 12?' bit. You don't know how to take a joke anymore, Lilian."

"When it's funny..." she trailed off, wagging up her brow.

"Oh, come on," he scoffed, giving her a judgmental once over. "Since when is 'cooties' _not_ funny?" Sebastian brought down his arm to elbow her. "What's your problem? You were in a good mood, up until a minute ago."

With Ami taking a business call, and opting to wait for them at the base of the ride, Lily had found herself feeling a little fidgety. It had been the three of them all afternoon. In the relative quiet of the car, she didn't have any conversation to start or anything else to pass the time. Honestly, she felt a little impotent. There had always been so much going on the last few times they were together, events and appointments, dining and drinks with friends, that she worried she might be a disappointing hostess now. When they were first friends, she had been the one dragging him around LA, whenever he visited, making sure he saw all the sights and tried all her town had to offer. And here she was, riding a ferris wheel on Santa Monica Pier because _he_ was directing the day.

"I don't know what to do around you anymore," she reluctantly admitted, with a feeble shrug. 

"What do you mean?" he frowned, resting his chin lazily on his shoulder to see her.

"When it's quiet, like that, I-" Lily didn't quite know how to explain herself. "I don't know. It didn't use to be that way."

"What's so different?" Sebastian asked.

Lily shook her head, for a long, silent moment. She turned her hands up in her lap and sighed. "Back in the day, we used to tear it up," she recalled, with a mischievous smirk. "Three or four clubs a night, closing down bars and wandering around 24-hour restaurants. And now, look. We're just sitting on a ferris wheel, in silence, like- Like we're middle aged parents hiding from our disappointing children."

Sebastian's head dropped, trying not to laugh. He snorted and lightheartedly corrected her, saying, " _Every_ one likes the ferris wheel." She let out a groan of a sigh and helplessly shook her head, looking upward with a defeated grin pursing her lips. "And I'm telling Ami you think he's a disappointment."

"Don't you dare," Lily warned, giving him a smack in the gut.

"I'm gonna tell him how Drew's your favorite child," he teasingly persisted.

"I hate you," she assured him, with a firm sweep of her head.

Sebastian chuckled, condescendingly nodding along. "Sure ya do, Lil. Sure." There was a pause between them, as the wheel moved to its next position and their smiles naturally dissolved. Sebastian turned his wrist so his hand curled around her shoulder. "People change, Benny," he conceded, breaking the silence. "We grow up; grow out of things. It's okay to be ferris wheel people, every now and then."

"Ferris wheel people," she quietly parroted, tucking her chin and shaking her head, with a defeated smile.

"We're alright, Lil. Just-" Sebastian shrugged, lost for what to tell her. "Just keep...being there." He shook his head. "You don't have to say or do anything. We've been friends long enough, there doesn't need to be constant talking, or whatever. Just...keep hanging out with me. If something needs to be said, we'll know."

"I don't deserve you," Lily said, half of an admission and half of an apology.

"Of course, you don't," he agreed, with a smirk that matched the cockiness of his quiet scoff. Lily elbowed his side and he broke into a smile, chuckling, as he pointed out, "But neither do I." With his free hand, he waved her over, inviting, "Come here, you hateful little bitch."

Lily slid back over on the seat, leaning into his side, calling him a pain in the ass. Sebastian beamed at the phrase, folding his arm around hers. The ferris wheel turned a little more, moving them closer to the ground, and Lily decided, "It's been a good day."

"Except for you calling our sons 'disappointing'," Sebastian quipped.

"Oh, my god," Lily griped, digging a finger into his side to make him squirm. "They're not our sons."

He smacked her arm, as punishment. "Thank god," he joked, with an exaggerated sigh of relief. "For a minute, I was afraid you'd been sleeping with the mailman."

Lily turned to frown at him. "The mailman? _Really_?"

Sebastian innocently held up his hands. "Hey, I'm not judging," he chuckled.

With their feet on solid ground again, they made their way out of the park and meandered down the pier itself. Leaning onto the weatherbeaten rail, listening to Sebastian's wind up of what was sure to be an inappropriate joke, he and Lily straightened up when Ami pushed off the railing to step around Lily. Peeking over Ami's shoulder, Lily groaned.

"Looks like that's it for the day," Ami said.

"What?" Sebastian wondered.

Ami's hand was already raised to start corralling them away. "Photographers."

Throwing a look back over his shoulder, Sebastian begged, "How did you even _see_ that?"

The photographer was clever. He was lined like a sniper along the back edge of a drink vender's shack, damned near 40 yards away, with a long lens. Ami ushered them back into the foot traffic of the visitors heading back to the park or their cars. 

"Seriously, man," Sebastian laughed. "The fuck d'you say you did in the Israeli Army?"

"I didn't," Ami smirked. 

Moving along, it wasn't hard to spot the next camera. "Aw, come on," Lily complained about the pair of paps on the boardwalk ahead of them. 

It was unavoidable. They literally had to walk right past the photographers to leave. Ami maneuvered around to the front and Lily shrank a little behind him. Sebastian adjusted his hat a little lower on his brow. The unfortunate thing was, LA paparazzi recognized everything about their favorite marks. 


	49. Chapter 49

"Ami. Hey man."

"For fuck's sake," Sebastian giggled, huddling up near Lily. "He's got _fans_?"

"’Sup, Sal," Ami said, with a jut of his chin in acknowledgment and an annoyance in his tone. "You know the drill."

"Lily. ...Hello, Lily."

Lily rolled her eyes under the shelter of her hat. So much for being confused for one of the company's other clients. She couldn't be too mad. Sal was a little older than most paps and had always been polite about what he did. She appreciated it and returned the favor by never being rude to him, unless there was a swarm of other paps already stressing the situation.

"Hi, Sal," she replied, flashing a quick smile and keeping on Ami's heel.

"Out for a little fun today?" Sal wondered, following along, at a respectable distance at her side.

Ami cut his arm in behind her, shifting Lily to his left to keep Sal and the other photographer on his right. Lily glanced up, catching Sal mutter something to the other guy and noticing the second man, with a handheld camcorder, back off a step or two.

"How ya been, Sal?" Lily asked, keeping her eyes on where they were walking. "Been awhile."

"No complaints," he answered. "Had a pace maker put on my ticker last month. Never felt better."

"Jesus, Sal," Ami quietly laughed.

Lily gaped. "Oh, my god, Sal!" She looked him over. "Last month?"

Sebastian watched, with an amused grin on his face. He couldn't recall a video or time he'd seen her actually converse with a photographer, let alone use their name or seem concerned.

"Ah, no sweat," Sal shrugged. "I've got junior here carrying the heavy stuff."

"Teaching him the ropes, Sal?" Ami asked, before pointing Lily to a turn.

"Gotta teach 'em while they're young," Sal nodded, "or they turn into assholes. ...So, how 'bout it, Lily? What'd you do today?"

"Come on, Sal," she gently complained, shaking her head. "Just out for some air."

"Sebastian Stan, right?" Sal pointed out.

"Yeah," Sebastian smiled, with a small wave.

"Haven't seen you two together since the Walk of Fame," Sal noted. "That was a good speech. What brings you to LA?"

"Thanks, man," Sebastian smiled, edging past a pair of kids chasing each other through the park. "Work. Table read."

"Anything about the movie you want to tell us, Lily?" the young videographer asked.

Lily thought for a moment, before a playful smirk came to the side of her mouth. "Yeah," she nodded, turning to see the camera. "Grab your tissues, because Sebastian's gonna break your heart."

"This way," Ami directed, walking Lily past a row of noisy game stands and diverting the stars away from a pair of photographers who hadn't seen them yet.

"Is that true?" Sal chuckled.

"Oh, yeah," Sebastian nodded, scrunching his face with an exaggerated pout of agreement. "Bring tissues. Lots of tears."

"Lily, can we get you to hold up for a couple good photos?" Sal begged.

"No," Ami groaned. He looked back for the stealthy photographer from the pier. "I'm not gonna let you all bunch up."

"Who, that schmuck?" Sal questioned, seeing the competition working his way up though the crowd.

"Hey, where you from?" Sebastian had to ask, wondering about the accent that rose up.

"Poughkeepsie," Sal said, "via Newark."

Sebastian laughed. "And ended up in LA. Fantastic."

Out of the park, Ami was able to move them along a little faster. Sal asked a few non-invasive questions about Lily and Sebastian's upcoming film, while he and his protégée followed along. Sebastian liked how laid back the hounding was, if it could even be called that. Heading in to the parking lot, Lily demurely skirted around some questions about how and where Alex was. And Sebastian didn't get by without having to give a vague comment about his NYC model "friend".

"Sebastain, how long are you in town for?" the unnamed pap asked.

"This was it," he answered. "Saw you guys, now my trip is complete."

Lily gave his arm a halfhearted, but scolding, smack. "Be nice," she quietly giggled.

"That's enough," Ami decided, with their SUV in sight, tapping the remote start button on his key fob. "See you around, Sal."

Sal stopped and put a hand out to hold back his cohort. "Lily, one good smile?"

Lily turned as she walked, giving Sal a photo worthy smile and wave. Sebastian could hear the motor drive on the camera working hard, in the relative quiet of the lot. Sal's attention and the light from the camcorder was drawing notice from passerbys in the lot and Sebastian took note of the people stopping to look in curiosity or gawking and whispering while they fumbled with cell phones, recognizing him, Lily, or both. Behind them, the paps from the pier had caught up.

"Thank you, Lily," Sal smiled, looking over the shots on the screen of his camera. He called after them, "Beautiful as always, dear. And thank you, Mr. Stan. Nice to meet you."

Lily waved again, sliding into the backseat behind Sebastian when Ami opened the car door for them. Lily leaned over, touching Ami's arm, to say, "Tell him about tomorrow."

"Okay," Ami nodded and shut the door.

Sebastian watched past the front of Lily, as Ami took a pen out of the pocket on the side of his shorts and wrote on a business card, as he walked. Ami handed the card to Sal, leaning in to say something to him. The men exchanged a nod and shook hands. Ami's head was cocked in annoyed disapproval, as he yelled at the intrusive photogs gathering around the car, on his way back to the waiting SUV and his client. Sebastian sat back and clicked on his seatbelt.

"What was that about?" he asked, quirking up a curious brow at Lily.

Lily fussed with her hair, in the reflection of the rear view mirror. Putting her hat back on, she explained, "Sal's a good guy. I had Ami tip him that me and Angie are having lunch tomorrow with Vivienne Westwood."

"I love how casual you make that sound," he snickered. "And that you, apparently, schedule your own pap walks."

"I don't schedule pap walks," Lily corrected him, with a shove into his arm. "But I'll throw Sal a bone, once in awhile."

"Vivienne Westwood, huh?" Sebastian chuckled.

She shrugged, fastening her seatbelt as Ami got into the driver's seat. "Ang is working on a piece about the iconic female designers, so I thought we'd all get together."

"Girls and talking about clothes," he tutted, shaking his head. "You know, the world's got bigger problems going on."

"Weren't you just front row at Todd Snyder's show, a couple months ago?" she reminded him, giving him a critical squint in one eye.

"Me? No," he shook his head, watching as Ami drove out of the lot and the paparazzi took pictures in vain of the heavily tinted vehicle. "Not me. Must have been my evil twin."

"Oh, lord," Lily laughed. " _Two_ of you? God help us all, if that were the case."

"Twice the fun," Sebastian winked.

"Would you like to go home," Ami checked, from up front, "or is there somewhere else you'd like to go?"

Lily checked the time on her phone. It was just a little after 9 o'clock. She thought to be courteous and ask Sebastian, "What time is your flight?"

"Just before one," he told her.

"Are we calling it a night?" she wondered. Lily smiled, adding, "Got any other big ideas?"

Sebastian hummed, stroking his chin, thoughtfully. Lily snickered at the passing thought of him looking like a guy in a movie plotting his next scheme. After a moment, Sebastian shrugged. 

"I don't know," he admitted. "Didn't really plan on making a run for it from the pier."

"Surprised we got away with it for that long," Lily conceded. 

"It was fun while it lasted," Sebastian noted. He shook his head, deciding, "I should probably call it a night. We had a good run. Been kind of a long day, visiting with dad and all. Besides, I'm sure Ami wants to get home."

"Don't worry about me, sir," Ami told him. "The family knows what I look like."

Lily and Sebastian both chuckled, but Lily confirmed, "We're done for the day."

"Where to, Mr. Stan?" Ami asked.

Sebastian leaned up, just a little, to tell him, "Sunset Tower, over on Sunset Boulevard."

"Yes, sir," Ami nodded. 

For the time of night, the drive over to Sebastian's hotel wasn't bad. They pulled up to the curb, about twenty minutes after leaving the pier. Ami left the car running, but got out to wait by Sebastian's door. Taking off his seatbelt, Sebastian smiled at Lily.

"Helluva day, Benny," he complimented. "Thanks for letting me hang out with you."

"With me?" she balked. "Thank _you_ , sir. You did all the planning. It was my privilege."

Sebastian gave the brim of Lily's hat a gentle swat. The sight of her scrunched up nose and grin, as she readjusted her bill, made Sebastian grin. "Thanks for second breakfast, you fuckin' nerd," Sebastian said. He pointed out the prizes from the pier on the seat beside her, sternly telling Lily, "Take care of Decapitated Cap and Little Bear. I don't want to get any bad reports that you're not treating them well."

Lily gave him a salute, promising, "But of course."

Leaning over, Sebastian gave Lily a hug. She met him half way and he dotted a kiss to her cheek, reminding her, "See ya in a couple weeks, Benny."

"I'll be there," she smiled, sitting back in her seat, as Sebastian opened his door to go. "Have a safe trip home, Bas."

Lily waved, until he was away from the door and Ami shut it behind him. She watched, from behind the dark windows of the SUV, as Sebastian walked into the lobby and Ami pulled away. She declined the last offer to make any other stops and Ami pointed the car back toward Beverly Glen.

Ami met Lily and Angela at Lily's house and drove them to lunch the next day at The Ivy. Lily had been polite enough to let Angela and Vivienne know that a photographer would be around. It wasn't that she expected either of them to be unpresentable, but it was the responsible thing to do. If either of them had complained, Lily would have had Ami's people reach out to Sal and respectfully withdraw the invitation. As it was, neither lady lunching with Lily were concerned by the paparazzo. Angela even considered talking to Sal later to see if there were any shots he didn't plan to sell to publishers that might suit her upcoming article.

The trio dined outside. The weather was mercifully milder than it had been the day before and, under the shade in the picket fenced patio, the breeze kept them comfortable. Sal and his young assistant were spotted across the street, occasionally taking photos and seeming to try and be nonchalant about it. The women lingered for nearly three hours, enjoying a leisurely lunch. Over dessert, and then a few rounds of icy cocktails, they talked at length about Vivienne's career, influences, and favorite secrets.

More photographers showed up, just before the trio was done for the afternoon. Unfortunately for them, the crowd had filled in and the view of Lily's table was obstructed by a large group of dinners celebrating a birthday, complete with balloons that danced in the breeze. From the corner of her eye, Lily noticed the frustrated bustling of the photographers across the street and she and her friends had a good laugh at their expense. They swarmed when the ladies left for the day, calling out to the women as Lily and Vivienne exchanged friendly hugs and cheek kisses. Ami and a waiter managed to keep the handful of paps at a respectful distance, until the ladies were tucked away in their respective cars.

Angela got more than she could have ever hoped for. On the ride back to Lily's, Angela debated about telling her editor she might turn the article into a series to spotlight Vivienne and her other subjects individually. If they were even half as accommodating as Vivienne had been, she would need the word space. She couldn't thank Lily enough for the help her little black book was in getting Angela started on her story.

Alex had an afternoon business meeting at Fox studios, just down in Century City, while Lily lunched. He caught up with Lily at her place, bringing along takeout from a popular Chinese food restaurant she liked. They ate outside, enjoying the pleasant evening air, at the table near the pool. He told her about his meeting to reprise a role from an action thriller a couple years ago. The movie was a respectable success, with surprisingly huge DVD sales and a cult fan following the studio hoped might be developed into a trilogy. Lily told him about her afternoon talking fashion and was just about to tell him a snarky little bit Vivienne told them about about Richard Branson when her phone chimed in a text; a photo of Lily at The Ivy with a message from Sebastian.

Seb: You're such a sell out

"Punk," Lily muttered, typing back.

Lily: It's called "working the system"

"Who's that?" Alex wondered, chuckling at her lips puckered to one side.

"Just Sebastian, giving me shit," she told him, putting aside her phone.

Alex laughed, nodding. "Good for him."

"Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" Lily gaped, throwing a fortune cookie at him.

"I am," he assured her, popping open the bag over the cookie and breaking it open for his fortune. "You two looked like you had fun yesterday."

Lily was surprised he brought it up. She had glossed over the pair of trips with Sebastian, when she and Alex spoke in the morning, but it didn't get much of a response in the quick exchange. She casually asked what he meant and Alex explained he saw Sal's photographs from the Pier on his phone while he waited for his meeting to start.

"Kinda jealous I didn't get to go," he smiled, before tossing a piece of sweet cookie in his mouth.

"You Googling me?" Lily teased, a bit shied that he saw the pics.

"Google, ogle. I'll do anything you let me," Alex winked and Lily giggled. "Actually, you were top of the page for the entertainment news... _again_."

"It was fun," she admitted. 

"Pics looked good," he noted, approvingly.

"Sal's always been kind," Lily blushed, as her phone lit up again.

Seb: Werk it

Lily rolled her eyes and turned her phone face down on the table, shaking her head and adding, "I had Ami tip him about lunch today. Ang is hoping he maybe has some extra shots she might use for her article, something he's not interested in keeping to sell."

"He does take a good picture of you," Alex nodded. "Crop Sebastian and there's a couple pics from yesterday that I'd keep."

"Wait...Keep pics of me or Seb?" Lily joked.

"He's not _that_ good looking, babe," he playfully assured her. "But you guys looked like you were having fun. There were some good pics, if you were promoting your film."

"Oh, yeah?" she mused, opening her own fortune cookie.

"What's it say?" Alex wondered, pointing to the narrow slip of paper in Lily's hand.

"A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not why ships are built."


	50. Chapter 50

"Not forgetting anything, are you?"

"No. Don't say that," Lily chided Alex, throwing a look at the luggage in the back of the SUV. "I didn't feel like I was, until you said something."

Alex laughed, hugging Lily, while she frowned in thought. "Don't worry about it," he told her. "I'm sure you can find whatever you're missing up there. And, if you really did forget something, tell me and I'll bring it with me next week."

"Thank you," she smiled, squeezing him back.

He gave her kiss, telling her, "Have a safe trip. I'll see you soon, okay?"

Jessica came out the door, holding it open behind to check, "Alex? Do you need back in the house?"

"No, thanks, Jess," he shook his head.

Locking the door behind her, Jessica passed Lily and Alex to put a small tote in with the rest of the baggage in the SUV. "We're all set then," she let Lily know, beating Ami to opening the car door for her.

"Okay," Lily sighed, with an exaggerated shrug. "Guess that's it."

Alex returned a wave goodbye to Jessica, as she climbed in the car, giving Lily a kiss for the road. Lily slid in beside her assistant, giving her own wave and smile to Alex, as Ami shut the door for her. The men shook hands before splitting off, Ami getting into the front passenger seat next to Brandon and Alex off to his own car. A little paranoid, Lily rummaged through her oversized purse, taking a quick inventory.

Finding everything she expected, she couldn't help looking at Jessica and complaining, "I feel like I'm forgetting something."

Lily took a private jet to Vancouver. It wasn't in her deal with the studio. It was out of her own pocket and an occasional splurge she made. She didn't mind commercial flying, but, sometimes, she just didn't feel like dealing with the hassle of possible delays, lost luggage, and curious onlookers. Besides, first class was nice, but it had nothing on the high end comforts of a G650. It was maybe a bit much for just Jessica and Ami traveling with her, but no one could complain about being cramped or waiting too long for lunch to be served.

With her feet tucked beneath her and a soft blanket over her bent up knees, Lily nestled into the corner of her wide, white leather chair with Jessica stretched out on the couch across the aisle way. They had found one of the satellite TV channels airing one of Alex's movies. Lily snapped a photo with her phone of Alex in action, creeping through a dark warehouse in this particular scene. She sent along the comment, "This guy seems familiar". Ami sat in the forward end of the cabin, with a MacBook open on the table in front of him, keeping track of the office while Drew was still out of town.

A little less than three hours later, they landed at a private airfield in Vancouver, B.C. They were met on the tarmac by a driver from the studio. Ami oversaw the transfer of the luggage from the plane to the SUV, while Lily and Jessica situated themselves in the car. The hotel wasn't very far and traffic, for the early afternoon, was easy to negotiate.

When she signed on to the film, the budget was conservative at best. Once Lily's signature was iron clad and the buzz started behind office doors, the studio began loosening its purse strings. Inheriting her mother's good business sense, and taking Sebastian's suggestion, Lily's better part of her paycheck would, hopefully, come from the back end deal. Upfront, she accepted a measly 9.5 million, in lieu of the usual 30 million she could command on larger projects. Her deal gave her 20% of the film's gross, in exchange for her lower fee and Lily covering her rooms on location stays.

The hotel suite that Lily chose was every bit as extravagant as a star of her brightness deserved. The two story suite was completely impractical for any ordinary woman to use by herself. She booked the available adjoining room for Ami, and later Drew. Jessica was only on hand for a couple weeks, heading back to Los Angeles for a couple of more weeks, before catching up with Lily again when the production moved to Portland. Until then, Jessica would make use of the sofa bed.

The suite came with a kitchen and a plush living room area on each floor. It was a toss up between the 8-foot long Swarovski crystal chandelier, hanging over the salon, and the rooftop gazebo in the midst of a meditation pond for most unnecessary luxury feature. The floor to ceiling windows on the bedroom and spacious 500 square foot ensuite bathroom looked out over the harbour, park, and snow capped mountains. The suite wasn't completely devoid of practicality. The tented terrace, beside the meditation pond, was perfect for entertaining the film's execs and upper echelon crew during her three week stay. Some producers and the director were already in town, and Lily had a small dinner party planned for Sunday night.

The private elevator for the suite eliminated the need to bump suitcases up stairs. Jessica and Lily dove in, unpacking and organizing Lily's things between the bedroom closet and bathroom. Ami excused himself to his room to settle in. Lily had planned on dining in for her first night. She had a half hour ride to the farm she was taking riding lessons at first thing in the morning. It wasn't worth the effort to get dressed up anyway.

After dinner, Jessica and Ami were trying to best each other while they competitively watched Jeopardy in the first floor living room. Lily went out to her balcony to take in the view. She leaned onto the railing, contentedly panning her gaze over the boats bobbing in the harbour below. She looked up, framing a selfie with the North Shore Mountains in the fading sunlight behind her with her phone. She found a filter she liked and posted it to Instagram with a "Hello, Vancouver!" and a heart in the comment. She added a few hashtags to tease that filming was starting soon and tagged the studio and her director. 

Lily went upstairs, tiptoeing over the long, marble blocks of the walkway across the water of the pond to the gazebo. She sat down on one of the cushioned loungers there and pulled her heels back to her butt, propping her phone on top of her knees to scroll through Instagram and keep tabs on the life of her most recent post. Several minutes later, she bit her lip, smiling at seeing Sebastian "like" her picture. She felt her cheeks warm at the comment he left a couple of minutes later.

[imsebastianstan  I can't wait! @TheLilyB #wordsfail #itshappening]

She giggled, tapping the little heart beside his comment. Lily didn't usually react to comments on her own posts, let alone reply, but she couldn't help teasing Sebastian and his fans.

[TheLilyB  Gird your loins, Vancouver. @imsebastianstan is coming]

The moment she submitted the note, she knew what she did. Lily muttered a halfhearted profanity and rolled her eyes at herself. She waited. She knew it was coming, she just didn't know how. She shouldn't have been surprised to get it from both sides.

[imsebastianstan  @TheLilyB I won't even say it...you know...]

Her phone chimed a moment later.

Seb: Phrasing

A bark of a laugh escaped her, breaking the serenity of the meditation pond. Lily let her feet slide on the cushion to cross her legs, leaning onto her elbows to reply.

Lily: I knew it. You couldn't resist

Seb: It was a trap! A set up?

Seb: You sneaky bitch

Lily: A happy accident. Just trying to hype the film

Seb: Likely story

Lily: Stirring up the fangirls for ya ;)

Seb: Please don't 

Seb: They don't need your help

Lily: You'll be beating them off with a stick

Seb: Phrasing

...

Sebastian kept his laughter to himself. The chuckle held down in his throat wouldn't disturb Gabriella napping beside him. He glanced over at the petite blonde curled up on his couch, sleeping off some jet lag. He pursed his lips, giving himself a small shake of his head. He should know better; playing with Lily while his model was right next to him. 

Lily: You know what I mean, you cheeky bastard. Do you ever behave?

Seb: It's hard. I'm trying

He followed up with a haloed emoji and choked, setting his jaw as he silently coughed, trying not to laugh out loud at Lily's reply.

Lily: Phrasing

...

Lily hid her head in her hands, wincing. 

"What is wrong with you?" she scolded herself, with a disapproving smirk at herself.

Seb: Who's cheeky??

Seb: Welcome to the gutter 

"I'm not in the gutter," Lily pouted, quietly, typing.

Lily: Didn't want you to be lonely down there

...

Sebastian watched, still for a moment, as Gabriella shifted. She curled the blanket a littler tighter around her fist and tucked it under her chin, settling again, with a soft exhale. He looked back at the dimming phone in his hand. Sebastian hesitated before he unlocked his phone again, wondering if Gabriella could hear the buzzing of his messages back and forth with Lily.

Lily: Besides, with a view like this, the gutter doesn't look so bad

Seb: It looks good. 

Lily: Love it up here. I should come here more often

A small smile tugged up the corner of his mouth, nodding as he typed, pleased to see her considering taking time for herself.

Seb: Never been

Lily: You're gonna love it. 

His grin widened, as he told her,

Seb: Big fan of the view already

...

Lily cradled her forehead in her hand, shied and feeling her cheeks blush. She chewed on the side of her lower lip, wondering if she was reading too much into his last message. Ahead of her, Lily heard a door shut and she looked up to see Ami walking out onto the patio from the corner door of the bathroom.

"Madison checked in," he told her, holding up his phone for her to see. "He's back in LA. He'll be up on Sunday."

"Did he call to say he's home," Lily smirked, "or did he call to see if you know where I am?"

Ami chuckled, watching his feet, as he lazily walked the marble path to the end of the gazebo. "Both, I think." He pocketed his hands into his jeans. "If you don't need anything for the night, I've got some billing I need to get ready for Toni back at the office."

Lily held up her phone. "Nope. All set," she smiled. "Thank you."

"We need to be on the road by 8:10 tomorrow," Ami reminded her.

"I'm gonna have breakfast sent up at 7:30," she told him. "Leave a note with Jessica with what you want."

With a nod, he turned in a crisp about face, wishing her, "Goodnight, Lily."

"G'night," she smiled, looking down at her phone. She unlocked her phone, realizing a long minute had passed since she had seen Sebastian's last text. "Shit," she muttered, considering what he might be thinking.

...

Sebastian frowned, tapping the screen of his phone to keep it awake. He was beginning to wonder if he had somehow gone too far. He was fully aware of how the message could read. Sebastian knew he was talking about Lily in her picture, but instantly hoped she would think he meant the mountains in her post. When she didn't reply right away, he thought he might have offended her somehow.

"What are you doing?"

Sebastian inhaled sharply, his eyes widening, surprised to see Gabriella stretching awake. He relaxed, settling into the back of the couch with an easy grin. "Nothing. Just screwin' around on Instagram."

Her hands reached into the air, curling at the wrists, before she pushed the blanket down to her feet and stood up. Stepping over his legs stretched out under the coffee table, Gabriella paused, bending to dot a kiss to his forehead while he looked up at her, on her way to the kitchen. Watching her go by, he wore a subtle grin on his upturned face, hoping to pass for innocent while his gut gave him a scolding twist for lying about messaging with Lily.

"I'm hungry," Gabriella noted as she turned into the other room. "Do you want to go out and get something to eat?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," he distractedly agreed, hurrying to unlock his phone as it buzzed in his hand.

He snorted, with a crooked smile, seeing Lily's reply.

Lily: ☺


	51. Chapter 51

The ride out to the farm was peaceful. It was a sunny morning and Lily couldn't help but comment that it looked like they'd just driven into a postcard, when Ami pulled onto the property. Following a helpful point from a young man near the front gate, they turned down a gravel road toward the barn. Ami parked beside a truck near the entrance to a white stable with green doors. Waiting for them was a pair of men and a red headed woman.

The woman introduced herself as Becca, the daughter of the farm's owner. With her were Danny, the stable coordinator, and Jacob, the show groom. Everyone shook hands and welcomed Lily. Sone of Emma's scenes put Lily on horseback. The studio had contracted with the farm to provide training for Lily, the animals for the film, and background for the shots. The location would stand-in for Emma's family farm.

Lily took a short walk through the stable and some of the grounds with the farm reps. As they toured, Lily answered questions about her riding experience. Emma came from a well-to-do family and her back story involved spending her summers jumping horses. The family farm was her retreat during rough patches with Pete. There would be a stunt double to film the jumping scenes. The plan was to get Lily familiar with the horse that would be used for filming and to report back to the studio about Lily's actual proficiency on horseback to see how much of the double they would have to use.

While Lily and the rest of the small group stopped near the training circle, Jacob lagged behind in the stable. He caught up a few minutes later with a beautiful brown and black horse in tow, saddled and ready to go. Jacob lead the horse inside the gate and over to Lily and the others from the inside. 

"This is King Louis," Becca announced, giving the bay colored horse a few pats on his neck. "He's a nine and a half year old Quarter Horse. Louis' been jumping for almost seven years now. He's got a quiet temperament; doesn't spook easy, kind of a sweetheart, really. I think he'd be a good first try."

Lily smiled, in awe of Louis. "Hello, handsome," she said, reaching out to stroke his face.

"So," Becca shrugged, "whenever you're ready, we'll get you on Louis and have him do a little bit of longeing here with Jacob. We'll get a look at you and see where we need to start."

"Great," Lily nodded.

She turned and handed her phone to Ami. Danny handed her a helmet they had sized for her on their pass through the barn. She wasn't quite sure why she never got rid of them, but Lily had held on to a box of riding attire and miscellaneous items. It had been a long time, but she was pleased that a few pairs of breeches still fit and her boots had faired well in storage. 

Stepping into the bullpen behind Danny, she followed behind to meet Jacob and King Louis. Danny took hold of the horse, attaching the longe line, while Jacob lowered the stirrups to hang from the saddle. Lily gave Louis' neck a few runs of her hand to say 'hello', while she waited. Jacob gave her a nod and asked if she was ready.

"Just to let you know," Ami piped up, from where he leaned into the gate of the pen, "Madison asked me to film this and send it to him, in case you fell on your ass."

Lily stopped, with her hand on the pummel of the saddle, and looked over her shoulder at him. "Are you?" she dared.

Ami snickered, shaking his head. "Nope," he smiled. "Prefer not to get fired, ma'am."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Lily muttered.

The others chuckled along and Lily reset herself. With the toe of her boot in the stirrup and a grip on the pummel, Lily told a hold of the base of Louis' mane and hopped up. She swung her leg over and eased down to the saddle, letting out the small breath she was holding. Jacob adjusted the stirrup lengths, and Lily found her balance and remembered her posture.

"This is so weird without reins," Lily noted, giving Louis an appreciative pat for staying still while she climbed on.

Becca smiled. "We'll get to that soon enough." She gave Lily a nod, adding, "Looks good. How do you feel?"

Looking over her position in the stirrups, Lily nodded, with a thoughtful pout. "Good. Pretty good," she said, with a quick thumbs up.

Jacob took the line from Danny and stepped back into the center of the pen. He picked up the long whip from the sandy ground, starting Louis off in a slow circle around the pen, after Danny stepped back out. Becca watched and offered a little bit of coaxing for Lily to remind her of the lines she wanted to keep with her body, but overall, she was quite pleased with how quickly everything came back to Lily. And so was Lily. 

After some work in the training circle, Lily dismounted to the slow clap from Ami and Becca. "That looked good," Becca nodding, with an approving smile. "What did you think?"

"He's wonderful," Lily smiled, petting Louis' neck.

"I think we have a match," Becca decided.

Jacob ran up the stirrups and Danny opened the gate for Lily. "And I didn't fall on my ass," Lily smugly pointed out to Ami.

He shrugged, reminding her, "Yeah, well, you know, it's still early."

Everyone shared a laugh and Becca motioned them to follow her up to the house. "I've got some notes and outlines from the studio about what they want to shoot here," she explained. "So, we'll go over that and, since the house is going to be used for a few interiors, we'll show you around a bit, so you're a little familiar. And then, before lunch, we'll get you back out with Louis and let you take him around the arena for awhile."

"Sounds great," Lily nodded.

Lily was in love. Every second riding with Louis was a trip down memory lane. She couldn't come up with a good reason for why she stopped riding. Her mother had a friend growing up who showed Thoroughbreds and, when Lily was nine, she went on her first of many afternoon rides with them. Of course, it got harder to go as often as she wanted, as her career began to flourish, but when Lily went to college, she reveled in her weekend rides she could squeeze in in Central Park. Unfortunately, it was just another thing she forgot to do for herself, after the jarring loss of her mother.

She could have stayed there all day, if she had any say in the matter. As it was, her introduction and first lesson was only scheduled to last until 2 o'clock. On the ride back to the hotel, she elbowed Ami, giving him shit for ever having doubted her. He swore it was Drew who was betting on the fall.

Back at the hotel, Lily took a long soak in the tub. With her hair twisted up in a high bun, Lily gushed on the phone with Alex about how much she enjoyed her half day at the farm, while she relaxed in the hot bath. He kidded that she should just buy Louis and ride him home. She warned him not to tempt her. She insisted, when he got to Vancouver, that he go with her to the farm. Alex happily agreed.

Over the next several days, Lily had more sessions out at the farm scheduled. By the time she returned to the hotel Sunday afternoon, it was time to start getting the suite ready for the dinner she was hosting. The film's director, Jason, arrived in town, along with several other above-the-line crew members. The dinner was catered using the hotel staff, with the chef using the suite's kitchen to prepare some items as the four course meal was rolled out. Lily wined and dined with her screenwriters and producers. Jason was pleased to hear that Lily's time at the farm was going well.

On Monday her stunt double, Anna, arrived. They rode in the arena together, so Anna could learn any ticks that Lily had. The two women got along well. Lily enjoyed her time at the farm so much that she hung around with Anna, shadowing Jacob as he groomed King Louis after their "work day" was finished. It was peaceful there and Lily liked being near the horses and dogs that lived on the farm.

By Thursday, Alex was in town for the weekend. Filming started for Lily the following Monday. He was visiting for a long weekend, the first of a couple planned visits before his own obligations put him on location for his next movie. Ami met him at the airport and drove him back to the hotel, where Lily was curled up on the couch in the gazebo, reading over the final version of her script. She looked up, when Alex stepped out onto the patio and said hello.

"This suite is ridiculous," he laughed, crossing the marble walk of the pond.

"It's cute, isn't it?" Lily smiled, lifting her chin to meet him as he bent down to kiss her.

"It's ridiculous," Alex maintained, with a smile, settling into the cushion beside her.

"Ridiculously awesome," she joked, under her breath. Alex snickered and shook his head. "How was your flight?" she asked, closing her script and putting it on the empty cushion beside her.

Alex put on the sunglasses hanging from the collar of his shirt, nodding. "It was good." He turned to look at Lily, with a mischievous smirk, saying, "I kind of expected to see you hiding the horse out here."

"He wouldn't fit in the elevator," Lily frowned, playing along.

"That's too bad," Alex chuckled.

"You still want to go out to the farm with me tomorrow?" she checked.  

He nodded, playfully hoping, "Maybe I'll find my own horse to steal."

"Louis' going to need a friend," Lily considered. "He won't know anyone in LA."

Alex did meet Louis, the next day. He watched with Ami as Lily and Anna rode. When the horses were warmed up, Lily gave up Louis for Anna to take over the reins and run through some of the jumps that had been coordinated for the filming. While they watched, Lily went on about the things she'd been up to at the farm earlier in the week. Ami didn't know what the penalties might be for "international horse smuggling", but he promised Alex he'd check in to it when he asked, much to the amusement of Lily. 

When Anna's work was done, the group all saddled up for a leisurely ride around the farm. There were some riding paths cut in around the acreage of the farm that Becca led them on. Alex's stunt and film history worked for him, having spent several weeks shooting a western a few years ago, he was completely at ease on horseback. Ami was casually neutral about the experience, shrugging that he wouldn't complain if he had to be on a horse again. Lily laughed, noting at least they didn't need to steal a third horse for Ami to take home. 

Back at the hotel, Lily realized she had a voicemail waiting for her. She noticed it when she checked the time on her phone. With Alex in town, she was hosting a little cocktail party with the producers and other top crew and their significant others. Schmoozing was schmoozing for everyone, and it was an easy way to relax and get in sync before shooting began. Putzing around the bedroom, getting clothes and things ready for a shower, she listened to the message from one of the producers. 

"Lily, hi. It's Rich. Listen, got a favor to ask. We have a bit of a snafu with the set. We were trying to get it dressed for Monday and one of the decorators realized someone forgot to do some manips or get ahold of photos of you and Sebastian to set up around Pete and Emma's. I don't know how realistic it is, but, considering you and Sebastian have been friends for awhile, is there any chance you can get your hands on any negatives, prints, or digital copies of any photos you'd be willing to let us show in the production? We've reached out to Sebastian, too. Also, any childhood or family photos of you? Someone should have been on this weeks ago to get photos taken, and I know it'd be a miracle to pull off while you're in Vancouver, but call me back and let me know if you have anything. They've been looking around all day at pap shots and candids, but nobody's really seeing what we're looking for or anything we can edit together for the two of you together. My worst case scenario is trying to get you two for an extra day for stills before we move down to Portland, but the schedule's packed tight as it is. We're still working on it. Let me know if you can help us out. Thanks Lily."

"Huh," Lily quietly said, thoughtfully pouting at the phone in her hand. 

"What's that?" Alex asked, looking up from his suitcase. 

"That was one of the producers," she explained, tossing her phone away to the bed. "Apparently, there's a little problem with the set."

"What kind of little problem?" he wondered, brow wrinkling in curiosity, as he flipped his suitcase closed.

"I guess the set decorator, or someone," she shrugged, "forgot to get photos of Pete and Emma together, or at all, ready to decorate with."

Alex chuckled and shook his head. "Well, not like you need those when you're making a movie about two people's lives together." 

"Exactly," Lily smiled.

"So, how are they gonna fix that?" 

"They actually want me to see if I have any old photos of me and Sebastian they can use," she said, "and any ones from growing up I'd share."

"So, you make some concessions and drop your price for the risk of a back end deal," Alex started listing, "put yourself up in hotels, and now you're dressing the set? You getting a producing credit, too?"

Lily laughed. "I should, right?" 

"At the very least," he agreed, with a grin. Moving his luggage to stand next to the closet, Alex checked, "Do you even have anything to help them out with here?"

"That's the million dollar question," she warily noted. "If not, they're talking about adding a shoot, for the Pete and Emma together photos, but I don't know how we'd manage it. Sebastian's not even up here for another week. And once we start filming, it'll be damned near impossible. It's a short schedule as it is. Sebastian's next project is something like two weeks after we wrap. That doesn't leave us a lot of wiggle room."

"Welp," Alex sighed, with a smirk, "you're screwed."

"It's a distinct possibility," Lily nodded. 

"Photoshop?" Alex suggested.

"He said they haven't found any candids or anything they can make work," she frowned. "I mean, maybe there's something I can find on Instagram or something, but I think, if I have anything, especially of my as a kid or whatever, it'd be at home."

"Well," he shrugged, "Sebastian's still home, isn't he? Maybe he has something."

"Maybe," she conceded. "They said they asked him."

"You should call and see," Alex suggested.

Lily gave a thoughtful pout and nod. "If only to make sure he doesn't send them something embarrassing," she snorted.


	52. Chapter 52

Lily's little party was in full swing. There were delicious finger foods and sweets to enjoy with the drinks the hired bartender was preparing. The rooftop air had a comfortable coolness in its light breeze and the atmosphere was lively. Lily and Alex rubbed elbows with her execs and their significant others. They floated around the conversations and made sure everyone had a good time. When they were having a small laugh over the set decorator's oversight with the pictures of Pete and Emma, Lily excused herself to go back inside and make a call. Perched on the side of the soaking tub, so Lily could keep an eye on her guests, she dialed Sebastian.

"Hey, Lil."

"Hello, little Romanian prince," she smiled.

"Yeah yeah. You never call," he pointed out. "What, you need bail money or something?"

"Yes," Lily chuckled. "The Mounties picked me up for smuggling maple syrup."

"Figures," Sebastian muttered, with a disappointed click of his tongue.

"So, you gonna leave me to rot in jail?" she joked.

...

Sebastian hummed, as if he were considering it. He chuckled at the petulant whine Lily made on the other end of the call and assured her, "I'll bake you a cake with a file in it."

"Knew I could count on you," Lily snickered.

"So, what's up, Benny?" he asked, thumbing through the mail he'd tossed on the table after coming home from the gym earlier.

"I got a call from one of the producers about-"

"About how they forgot to get pics for Pete and Emma's place," he finished for her, with a snort and shake of his head. "Yeah, me too. They ask you to give them photos and stuff?"

...

"Yeah," Lily chuckled, shaking her head. "Except, I'm in Vancouver and anything I have would be back home, in LA."

"Wait," he said, sounding a little incredulous. "My best friend doesn't have any pictures of me in her phone, or anything? That- That's insulting. I'm hurt, Lil."

"Shut up," she smirked, rolling her eyes. "I have a few things on, like, Instagram, but not a lot. Some stuff from Streetcar with the rest of the cast, but that's in costume, and some things people tagged me in, like from Ang. But I don't post a lot of personal pics. And most of you and me was pre-Instagram."

"So, you're keeping the good stuff at home, huh?" Sebastian teased.

Lily ducked her head and smiled, swinging her foot out to let her Jimmy Choo dangle from her toe. "You know it," she agreed.

...

"So," he smiled, putting the mail aside and pressing the buzzer by the door, "you're putting all the pressure on me, huh?"

"Well, you're at home," Lily reasoned. "If anybody stands a chance of saving this production, it's you."

"Ha!" Sebastian barked, tipping his head back. "Saving the production. That's rich."

"I'm actually an inch away from sending Jess home on a fast round trip and having her copy the stuff off the computer and bring any prints she can find," she admitted. "I don't really keep anything on my phone or tablet, in case I get hacked or ripped off. It's all on the computer in my office."

"Saved next to your porn folder," he snickered, heading down the hall to the bedroom.

"Oh, my god!" Lily laughed. "The porn folder! I forgot about your secret stash. What was it? What'd you call it?"

He shook his head, with a small smirk in the corner of his mouth, looking around in his walk-in closet for a shirt. "I don't know," Sebastian grumbled, a little embarrassed that she remembered the story. "Something like 'structure work'."

...

Lily's feet were back on the floor and she was doubled over at the waist, laughing. "Yes! That's it! I remember now." She sat up, wiping a thumb under her eye and sighing to compose herself. "Oh, my god. That was brilliant."

"Sure," he sarcastically agreed, "until you get called out on it by your stepdad."

"You survived," she reminded him, still smiling, as she stood up to check her makeup in the mirror. "God, I can't believe I forgot you did that."

"Yeah, well," Sebastian said, "what'd you expect? I was a kid. I thought I was clever."

"You were," Lily assured him, twishing her head from side to side to look over her hair. "A true pioneer of internet porn." She tapped the speaker button on her phone and set it down on the vanity to free up her hands to adjust a pin in her hair. "Just make sure _you_ don't send them any photos from the wrong folder," she teased.

...

"Oh, you think you're in the porn folder?" he mischievously checked.

"Oh, my god," Lily groaned, and Sebastian snickered. "I better not be in the porn folder," she warned.

He had to laugh. The picture he had in his head, of Lily stopped in her tracks and scowling at him or maybe fuming with cheeks tinted pink in embarrassment, was too funny to ignore. 

"I swear to god, Sebastian..." she wound up a threat.

"You're not," he promised, though still not quite sobered, as he quickly pulled a plain white t-shirt overhead. "But don't get all prudish on me. You're the one that did those shoots for GQ and Vanity Fair. Do I even need to remind you about Rolling Stone?"

"Oh, come on," Lily complained. "It's not like any of that was for Playboy. Those aren't porn magazines."

"Never underestimate a guy's imagination, Lil," Sebastian playful cautioned. "I bet there's a lot of 'structure work' folders out there right now keeping those pics safe."

"I'm hanging up on you now," she told him.

"No, you're not," he smirked, knowing better. Sebastian held the phone away from his face, turning into the kiss from Gabriella, as she walked into the closet, and promising her, "Five minutes. Okay?" He pointed to his phone. "It's about work. Some mixup with the set in Portland, or something."

"Five minutes," she agreed, with a smile, holding up her hand to splay out her fingers as a visual aid of their deal.

Grinning sweetly, Sebastian watched Gabriella disappear into the hallway and head back to the front of his apartment. He put the phone back to his ear in time to barely hear Lily ask if he was talking to her and make his apology. "Ah, no," he grimaced. "Sorry. No, I put you down for a second."

"You busy?" Lily wondered. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrup-"

"No. No, nothing," he insisted. "You never interrupt. What were you saying?"

...

"I said, I have Jason and everyone over for drinks," she explained, "and someone brought up the missing pictures, so I thought I'd call while I was thinking about it and remind you."

"Yeah, sure," Sebastian seemed to understand. "Good idea."

Lily's voice took a slightly more serious tone, telling him, "Now I'm counting on you to pick good photos."

"Like from Chace's birthday," he suggested, "when you and Ang fell asleep on the floor?"

Lily held up a finger, ready to threaten his life.

"Hey, babe?"

Lily turned to see Alex leaning into the doorway from the patio. "Hold on," she told Sebastian and raised her brow, in curiosity, as Alex's cue to go on. 

"Jason's looking for you," he informed her, cocking his head toward the covered terrace across the patio. 

"Be right there," Lily smiled.

"Okay," Alex nodded, flashing her a warm grin before stepping back outside.

"You gotta go?" Sebastian figured.

"In a minute," she confirmed. "But I swear to god, if you send or bring them any photos of me looking-"

...

"I got it Lil," Sebastian smiled. "Nothing from the 'structure work' file and nothing where you look anything less than a 6."

"I'm not kidding," she reiterated.

"Okay, fine," he exaggeratedly conceded. "Nothing less than a solid 8."

"Sebastian..." 

He chuckled at the sternness in her voice. "Aht," he warned. "You're working your way down to a 7 and a half."

"I hate you so much," Lily muttered.

"7."

"Sebastian!" Lily cried foul.

"I kinda like having all the power in this relationship," he mused, looking over the selection of watches in one of the drawers of his closet.

"I'm calling your mother," Lily promised.

"She'd be thrilled," Sebastian chuckled, laying the silver dial TAG Heuer on his wrist to debate. "I'm sure she'd love to chat."

"You're a terrible human being," she decided.

"I know," he smiled, fastening his watchband. "Go back to your party, Benny. If I have time, I'll send you the photos before I send them in. Okay?"

...

"Fine," Lily grumblingly relented, walking across the bathroom to go back outside.

"Have a good night, Lil," he said. "I'll see you soon."

"Be good, Bas," she smiled, pulling the glass door shut behind her.

"I'm trying," Sebastian chuckled.

Lily shook her head, tapping the button on her screen to end the call. She scuffed to a stop, plucking a mini crab cake from the nearly bare tray of the waiter passing on his way back inside to restock the hors d'oeuvres. Alex was waiting for her, with a smile and fresh glass of champagne for her, talking with her director. Lily gave Alex a peck on the cheek as thanks and turned her attention to Jason and back to schmoozing.

"Hey, who'd you call when you disappeared?" Alex wondered, folding back the shoulders of his button down shirt to lay over the end of the bed.

"Sebastian," Lily answered, putting a hand on the frame of the closet door, as she stepped out of her heels. "We were talking about those pictures for the movie and I thought I'd call to see if he'd have any luck with it, since he's still at home."

Alex nodded, crossing the room to lay his watch on the dressertop. "Can he help?"

"I think so," she nodded, reaching for the clasp on her necklace. Lily stopped, peeking over her shoulder at Alex's warm fingers at her neck to help. "Thanks," she smiled, pulling her hair aside, while Alex undid the clasp. "I don't really know what or how much he has."

"Just as long as it's not a picture of you drinking soy sauce?" he teased, with a playful smirk, as he handed Lily her necklace.

"Exactly," she agreed, rolling her wide eyes for emphasis.

Alex snuffled a laugh, shaking his head. "That'll be kinda fun for people," he figured. "Seeing real pics of you guys in your movie. It'll be a popular note on IMDb."

"Hadn't thought about that," Lily realized. She snorted after a quick second's consideration. "Huh. That is kinda cute." 

Walking past her to hang his shirt up, Alex wondered, "So, you don't have anything they can use?"

"I'm sure I do," she shrugged, "but it's all at home. I took damn near everything off my phone and put it all on the computer a couple years ago, after all those hacks."

"Good call," he nodded.

"I barely keep anything on my phone for long, anymore," she went on. "And I post even less on Instagram and stuff."

"I should really clean out my phone," Alex considered. 

"I've been thinking about just sending Jessica back home," Lily admitted. "Just in case."

"In case what?" he asked, pulling back the bedsheets.

Shrugging again, Lily climbed into bed. "In case Sebastian doesn't have anything they were looking for or not enough. I don't know. Do guys even hold on to photos like that?"

"Some do," Alex nodded, with a thoughtful pout. "Probably more of girlfriends than just friends, though." Lily bit her lip, with a small wrinkle of concentration in her brow, and Alex chuckled. "You wanna go tell Jess to find a flight home?"

Her expression broke, into a shy grin. "Yeah," she reluctantly sighed, as Alex reached over to whip back the sheets.

He sent her out of bed, with a playful swat on her ass. "Go on, before you worry yourself into a bad night's sleep," he grinned.

"Be right back," Lily promised, hurrying out of the room. 


	53. Chapter 53

Lily peeked out of her door. Seeing the light on in the next room, she slipped out of the bedroom. She called to her assistant, to see if she was still awake, and was relieved when Jessica answered. Jessica was waiting for her with an eager smile on her face, sitting cross legged on the end of one of the couches.

"What's up?" Jessica asked.

Lily folded her leg underneath her and sat on the other end of the couch. "You know how, when I hired you, I told you I was completely neurotic, right?"

"Yyyes," Jessica agreed, with an exaggerated nod as she pretended to recall the warning.

"Good," Lily smiled, "then it won't be a complete surprise when I tell you, I want you to back to Los Angeles on the first flight you can tomorrow, get a bunch of pictures for me, and then come back here right away."

"You're serious, aren't you?" Jess realized.

Lily nodded, admitting, "Completely."

Jessica snickered, reaching out for her tablet on the coffee table. "LA and back, in a day? I can do that." She began tapping away on her screen, wondering, "What do you want me to get? Like, pictures off the wall, orr...?"

"Maybe some stuff off the wall or mantle. I don't really know," Lily told her. "But I need copies of stuff on the computer."

"I can copy everything onto my MacBook for you to look at when I get back," she offered, her eyes scanning over her tablet in her lap.

"Good idea," Lily nodded. "I need pics of me and Sebastian and, I guess, just me growing up." She waved a dismissive hand in the air to clear her thoughts, as she considered she didn't really know what exactly the film crew was looking for. "Just- In my office, there's a pair of photo boxes on the shelf. They're, like, covered in a white and gray rose pattern, you know?"

Jessica nodded, tapping and swiping at her screen. "On the shelf near the window."

"Yes," she smiled, beginning to think that this might not be so hard to do. "Bring those and the albums on the other end of shelf; the black leather with the silver embossing on the spine." Lily leaned forward, craning her neck to see what Jessica was doing. "Any luck?"

"I'm looking around," she said, bobbing her head, with her eyes still fixed on the screen. "Figuring in time to get through traffic and airports, I think I can put something together and get back here by mayyybe 7:30."

"I don't care how you do it," Lily told her. "If you can do it commercial, or find an empty leg on something private, and hire a car. I don't care what it costs. Just do whatever and put it on the card."

"Famous last words," Jessica sang, with a smirk.

Lily laughed, pointing out, "This is the one time I'd let you get away with it. So. make it count."

"I'll see what I can do," Jess promised. "Don't worry about it. I'll get it done."

Crawling down the couch, Lily hugged Jessica and thanked her. She went back to her room, shutting the door behind her. Lily's confident smile earned a grin in reply from Alex.

"She gonna do it?" he asked, folding back the sheets for Lily to climb back into bed.

Lily nodded, with a contented hum, as she cuddled up to Alex's side. "She thinks she can be back by tomorrow night. I told her to do whatever it takes, however much it costs."

"Generous," Alex chuckled.

"Desperate," Lily smiled.

Jessica had a way of always delivering. By the time Lily and Alex were just sitting down for breakfast, Jessica was in a cab on the way to the airport. Lily had thought of a couple more places to look for photographs and her assistant added the notes to her list of things to grab on her phone. Lily felt like she was asking a lot, but Jessica assured her it wasn't the worst or weirdest thing a personal assistant in Hollywood was ever asked to do.

She sent texts to keep Lily in the loop. Jessica messaged when the plane taxied to a stop to let Lily know she was back in town. She had arranged for a car at LAX when her flight landed just after 11 a.m. By the time she got through customs and to the curb, it was after noon. The car pulled up the house and Jess called to make sure there wasn't anything else Lily wanted or had forgotten. Lily got another message a couple hours later letting her know that Jess was waiting on her next plane to board.

Lily and Alex had just finished dinner at the hotel restaurant. Keying into Lily's suite, the sound of voices made Lily smile. She muttered a thanks to god at seeing Jessica in the dining room with Ami and Drew. The trio was dotted around the table, with a take out dinner of burgers, fries, and beer.

"Look what I brought," Jessica cheerfully announced, presenting Drew with a wave of her open hand. 

Drew hoisted his bottle of beer to greet her and Alex, and swallowed the food in his mouth. "Hi."

"You made it," Lily happily observed. 

"Saved you a line on your bill, too," Jessica chuckled.

"How's that?" Lilian asked, leaning onto the back of an empty chair.

"I knew Drew was coming up today," Jessica explained. "So, I called to see when that was and if he wanted to hitch a ride with me."

"Yeah," Drew nodded. "Jess said she had an empty leg up here, so we canceled my commercial ticket and I tagged along with her."

"Good idea," Alex nodded. "How was the honeymoon?"

"Fantastic," Drew smiled. "You guys had some great recommendations. Liz was very happy."

"Wonderful," Lily beamed. 

"Heard you managed to stay out of trouble," Drew smirked at Lily.

"Tried my damnedest," she winked. She touched a finger to Jessica's shoulder. "Did you get everything?" Lily checked.

Jessica nodded, as she ate, and Ami chimed in, "It's all upstairs in your room."

"Jess, you're amazing," Lily gushed, hugging an arm across the front of her shoulders from behind her chair.

Jessica gave Lily's arm a squeeze, smugly noting, "All in a day's work."

The group shared a laugh and Lily dismissed herself to her room. She hurried up the stairs and was surprised at how relieved she was to see the boxes and photo albums stacked neatly on the bench at the foot of the bed. Biting her lower lip, Lily climbed on the bed and circled around to lay on her belly. Lily propped herself up on her elbows and grabbed the album from the top of the pile. She flipped open the cover and grinned at the photos of her and her friends and mom.

Lily stayed upstairs, thumbing through the albums Jessica brought her from home. She heard the sounds of laughter and conversation from the living room downstairs, but she was busy. Pulling a photo here and there from the pages in front of her, Lily set them aside, starting a small pile of considerations she might share with the studio. Lily sat up, crossing her legs and pulling a box into her lap. 

She snickered to herself at the old photos she shuffled through. Lily shook her head at some of the pictures of her and Angela and their girlfriends on the beach. She found some photos from lazy moments on set with costars from movies she worked on years ago. The further back through the box she got the older the pictures were. Grabbing the next handful of prints to see, she took the ones from the front and tucked them in the back, one at a time. The ones with Sebastian and their friends appeared after a few flips.

"Oh, my god," she muttered, with a grin and shake of her head.

Lily set down the stack of photos and reached for her phone. She pinched the device between her ear and shoulder, going back to her shuffling of pictures. She chewed on the side of her lip as the call rang.

"Yyello."

"You ruined everything," she told him.

...

"The fu-?" Sebastian stopped, literally. Mid-stride, he stopped and looked incredulously at the screen of his phone to see the caller ID. "What did I do?" he complained, continuing on his way down the sidewalk.

"Your face," Lily uselessly explained.

"What about it?" he worried, rubbing a few fingertips into his cheek.

"You're making a face," she sighed, "in every one of these pictures."

Sebastian laughed, his shoulders relaxing and head tipping back. "Ohh, you found some pictures."

"I sent Jess back to the house for them."

"I like how you say that," he smirked, "as if you just sent her down the street for them instead of strapping her into a plane for, like, six hours."

"She had a private flight for the way back," Lily excused.

"Oh, yeah," he rolled his eyes, with a grin. "That makes it better."

...

"Shut up," Lily playfully scolded him, holding up a picture to examine. "Seriously, Bas. You're doing something goofy in every one of these pictures. What's wrong with you?"

"I don't know." She heard the shrug in his voice. "I was probably having fun. You remember fun, don't you? You used to have it," he teased.

"I still do," she assured him, with a smug smile. "I just don't make weird faces when I do it."

"I beg to differ," he countered. "Something tells me we have different pictures than the other."

Lily sat up a little straighter, suddenly concerned. "What did you find?" 

"The panic in your voice, Benny," he laughed. "I can imagine the look on your face."

"Sebastian..." she warned.

...

"You didn't see?" he worried, waiting for the crosswalk signal to change, with the rest of the evening pedestrians.

"See what?" she asked, carefully.

"Oh," he blinked. "Well, I sent you an email with the pictures attached I was gonna send them. You didn't get it?"

"Hold on."

The light changed and the small gathering of strangers moved on. Sebastian walked along, eyes wandering across some storefront windows while he waited to hear back from Lily. She asked if he was still there and he happily hummed his replied. 

"Okay," she huffed, sounding like she was moving around. "I got my iPad. Lemme check my mail." 

"They should be there," he told her, glancing at his watch. "I sent them, like, an hour ago."

...

Lily swept her finger along the screen, scrolling through her emails. She tapped, when she saw Sebastian's email address. The subject line read: Your savior.

"Savior?" she shook her head. " _Really_?"

"Hey," Sebastian argued, "you said it, not me."

Lily groaned, rolling her eyes up. "I did not."

She opened the attachment and tilted her tablet upright for a better view, as Sebastian went on, "Help me, Sebastian Stan. You're my only hope."

"I definitely did _not_ say that," Lily assured him, dragging her finger up the screen to see the next photo.

"Those were your exact words," he insisted, although Lily could hear the smile in his voice. "Pretty sure."

"You're delusional," she chuckled, stretching her fingers apart to zoom in on the picture on her screen. Lily looked closer at the group photo of her and Sebastian and the other mentors at Applause; of everyone crammed into the frame and damn near climbing over each other to be sure they were seen. "Oh, my god. I forgot about this."

"Which one?" Sebastian asked.

Lily smiled, moving the picture around on her tablet to see everyone's faces. "From the last night at the Applause camp." She scrunched up her nose. "Look how young we were. How did we get so old?"

...

Sebastian smiled, his brow rising with his assurance, "We're not old, Lil. We're just-" He paused for something kinder to say. "More experienced."

"Good save," Lily laughed. 

"It wasn't _that_ long ago," he assured her.

"Seems like it," she mused.

"Well, if it's any consolation," Sebastian offered, edging his way through a cluster of people on the sidewalk waiting for their chance at a food truck, "you've held up beautifully."

"Thank you, dear," Lily said.

"So, how'd I do?" he checked, with an eager smile.

"Not bad, kid," she approved. "Not bad."

Sebastian beamed at the praise, happy to not have disappointed her. "Told ya."

...

Lily's eyes danced over the pictures, remembering every moment they captured. "Can I keep these?" she hoped.

"Of course," he scoffed. "That's a stupid question to ask. Their ours. You don't have to ask."

"They're yours," she pointed out, with a warm smile at seeing the next photo of them. "How do I not have copies of these?"

"You do now," Sebastian brightly pointed out. "What's mine is yours, Benny."

"Thank you," Lily grinned.

"So, they're okay?" he asked. "Can I forward them on to Rich?"

Lily nodded and hummed. "Yeah. Send them."

"I'll do it when I get home," he promised.

"Oh? What are you up to now?" she asked.

...

Sebastian waved from the outside of the bar's front window. Inside, a group of friends were gathered around a hightop table near the entrance. Gabriella gestured for him to come in and he held up a finger to say he'd be just a minute.

"Just getting ready to meet some people for dinner," he shrugged. "You?"

"Ate awhile ago," she told him. "Been digging through the stuff Jess brought back."

"See anything you like?" he smirked.

"Some, but I've been pretty distracted looking at other stuff," she admitted. "Jess brought up a lot for me to go through, but I've got a few picked out. Do you want me to send them to you first, when I'm done?"

"Nah," he dismissed the offer, with a wrinkle of his nose. "I trust you. How's your week been up there?"

"Ohh, it's been fantastic," she gushed and Sebastian's mouth broke open into a wide smile.

"That good, huh?" Sebastian chuckled.

He couldn't stop smiling, listening to the happiness in her tone, as she said, "You wouldn't believe this farm they found. It's adorable. And the people are wonderful. But, Bas, my god. This horse they got me on..."

"Oh, yeah?" he led her on, despite catching the beckoning waves of his friends in the window. He gestured for them to wait and turned away to give Lilian his undivided attention.

"He's amazing," she told him. "We've been joking with Ami about stealing him, but now that Drew's here, I think we can actually pull it off."

"You're stealing a _horse_?" he laughed.

...

"Maybe," Lily shrugged.

"You've got more money that you know what to do with," he reminded her, as Lily tipped over to curl up on her side, her head propped up on her hand and her photographs she'd put aside spread out on the duvet. "Why don't you just buy him?"

"Where's the fun in that?" she playfully frowned. 

On the other end of the call, Sebastian snorted and Lily grinned at the sound. "What's so great about him that ya gotta steal him?"

"He's gorgeous," Lily began, turning over the picture to see the date scrawled on the back. "He's an absolute sweetheart and when he jumps? Bas, he's like poetry in motion. It's beautiful. I'm telling you, I'm actually kinda jealous of my stunt double."

"I've got this mental picture of you knocking out your double and taking her place," he joked, "and then riding away into the sunset, laughing like a fiend."

"I'm this close," she promised, holding up her free hand to show a sliver of space between her thumb and forefinger. Lily picked up a picture of her and Sebastian at a restaurant table and she remembered, "Oh, shit! You're going to dinner. Sorry, I got distracted talk-"

...

"Nah, don't worry about it," he shrugged, taking a step back to let a couple pushing a stroller pass by with a little more room. "It's not like I'm at the table, or anything."

He was so enamored by the happiness in her voice, Sebastian wouldn't have said anything, even if he was. Sebastian threw a quick glance to the bar window, appreciative that no one was paying attention to him when he looked. He turned back to the street, as Lily shooed him off the phone anyway.

"Well, I don't want to make you late," she insisted. "Go have a good time. See you soon."

"Yeah," he agreed, trying not to let his disappointment sound. "Next week. I'll see if I can dig up anything else to send you. See ya, Benny."

Sebastian pocketed his phone when Lily hung up. He looked up, giving an acknowledging jut of his chin when he spun around at the knock on the glass behind him. His friends emphatically waved him in. He went inside, hoping Gabriella's pout was for show and not an actual mood for being too long on the phone.


	54. Chapter 54

Seb: Note to self 

Lily picked up her glowing phone from the coffee table in the downstairs living room of her suite. Her own laughter blending in with the happy sounds of her small entourage enjoying some of the photos Lily had been showing off, Lily sighed out the end of her amusement and sent a question mark in reply, when Sebastian's message didn't have an immediate follow up. She set her phone on top of her leg, freeing her hands to take back the album that had just been passed around. 

It was late in Vancouver. But Lily had her little traveling family all together again and the extra bottles in the six pack that Jessica, Ami, and Drew had picked up with their burgers on their way to the hotel had started off a night of toasting Drew's wedding, prodding for his honeymoon stories, and talking about the places he and his new wife had ventured to that Lily and Alex had known from their own trips. The reminiscing prompted Lily to run upstairs and grab some photos of some of her travels that she had in the lot that Jessica had brought for her. She found the picture she was just talking about, of her riding atop an elephant, and handed it to Alex to see when her phone chimed again.

Seb: Don't mention old photos in the company of drunk friends

Lily: Do tell

Seb: The things people remember...

Lily: Oh now you have to tell me!

Seb: Remember my birthday '11?

Lily smiled as she typed.

Lily: Yes

Seb: So does everyone else :/

Lily: That was a good night for you as I recall

Lily: Somebody got the scandalous pics of you? Perhaps in compromising positions?

Her picture came back to her and Drew began talking about one of the excursions they went on. While Drew described going to the Uluwatu Temple, Lily tucked her photo back in its pocket in the album in her lap. She set her phone to vibrate, to keep from interrupting Drew's story, when Sebastian's next message arrived. 

Seb: I have it on good authority that someone has video

Lily checked her phone and snorted, quietly, at the screen. She set it aside, giving her attention back to the story at hand and reaching out when Drew offered her his phone to see a picture of him and the Mrs. at the temple. He told her to swipe to the next photo, as he was telling everyone about the monkeys on the temple walls. Lily handed the phone to Alex to see and sipped at the cocktail Jessica had made from the offerings in the kitchen. Several minutes went by before Lilian thought to go back to her phone.

Seb: There's also rumor of pics

Lily: Pics or it didn't happen ;)

Seb: Oh it happened alright

Lily: Curious...what's on the "alleged" film? And followup question: pics of?

Lily tuned back into Drew's stories, while the ellipsis told her Sebastian was writing. Jessica stood to refresh her drink and offered to fill anyone else's. She nodded at Lily's request for a soda from the fridge and to Alex for a water for himself.

The way Lily sat cross legged on the couch had her knee overlapping Alex's leg and he gave her a gentle poke in the knee. "Whatcha doin'?"

Lily looked up and tipped her phone his way, with a shrug. "Nothing," she smiled. "Sebastian sent something about pictures and I'm waiting to see what he's talking about."

"Did you get yours all picked out?" Alex wondered.

"I think so," Lily nodded, with a confident pout. "I put them aside upstairs and started a folder on Jess' laptop. I was gonna have her scan the prints and send them all over together in the morning."

Lily's phone buzzed in her hand, while Alex pointed out, "Speaking of morning, it's probably about time for you to go to bed, isn't it?"

"Probably," she reluctantly agreed. 

Filming began in the morning. Lily wasn't scheduled to be on set until 11 o'clock, but it was after midnight and she didn't want to show up looking tired. She closed the album in her lap. Realizing the time, everyone was suddenly considering retiring for the night. Lily stood up, announcing she had better to go sleep. Jessica returned Lily's drink to the kitchen, but Alex kept the bottle of water she'd brought him, following Lily upstairs after they said their goodnights.

Changed into her cami and sleep shorts, Lily gathered up the boxes and albums of photos she'd spread out on the bed earlier in the evening. She carefully set the short stack of prints she had put aside to share with the production to help dress the set in Portland. She disappeared to the bathroom to wash her face. Alex was in bed, checking his phone, when Lily's buzzed again on the nightstand. 

"Your phone again," he told her.

"It's ringing?" she checked, from the other room.

"No," Alex called back. "Just a text."

"Is it Sebastian or someone new?" Lily asked, rinsing off her face.

"Hold on," he said. A moment later, he answered, "Sebastian."

Lily grabbed a towel off the rack near the sink and dried her hands and face, telling Alex, "Okay, I'll get it in a minute."

When she was finished in the bathroom, she smiled at seeing the sheets on her side of the bed folded back for her. Lily climbed into bed, situating herself under the covers, and Alex handed her her phone.

Seb: The video is of *somebody* doing her best Marilyn Monroe singing me Happy Birthday. The pictures are of all the girls that night in my bed

Seb: Word on the street is that you have copies of those pictures

Seb: Holding them for blackmail purposes later?

Lily snickered, reading her messages, and Alex said, with a grin, "I have to ask, who did the Marilyn Monroe?" 

As if the embarrassed groan that left Lily wasn't enough of an admission, she raised her hand. "Me."

"Nice," Alex nodded. "And these pictures?"

"I don't know exactly what he's talking about," Lily shook her head. "I know I have _one_ , but I don't know what others he's talking about."

"You better find out," he playfully warned, "before they show up on set." 

Lily reached over and picked up her tablet from the nightstand. "No," she grinned. "He sent me copies of what he sent in."

Alex put his phone aside and Lily unlocked her iPad to get to her photo album. After she had Sebastian's blessing, she had saved the pictures he sent onto her tablet. Scooting closer, Lily nestled herself under Alex's arm and tapped the screen on her device to show him what Sebastian had found. As the pictures changed, she gave names to the faces in group photos or told him how old a picture was and where it was from. 

"Some good pics in there," he noted. "Looks like a lot of fun."

"Seems like forever ago," Lily frowned, tilting her head thoughtfully at the picture of her and Sebastian on one of her quick New York visits in 2012. "Time flies, huh?"

Alex dipped his head to kiss her shoulder. "You got busy," he noted. "Time always gets away from you when you're working like you do."

Lily locked her tablet and shook her head. "Work work work," she smiled, putting aside her iPad on the table by the bed. "Back to the grind, tomorrow."

Lily was all smiles, arriving on set. The large open yard to the side of the farmhouse and the gravel drives were packed with trailers and equipment. She read over the call sheet for the day, while she sat in the makeup chair. She was off to get into costume next, with her first scene scheduled at 2:30.

Jessica traded Lily her copy of the script for the call sheet. Lily thumbed through the book in her lap, reading from the bottom of her eyes as she kept her chin raised for her makeup artist to work. In the chair beside her, Lily's costar, Olivia, was chatting up a storm with the ladies in the trailer. Lily laughed along with the older woman's story of a film she did several years ago, recounting the first time she was cast as "the mother".

"I tell you," Olivia sighed, "I couldn't decide if I was laughing because they wanted me to play the mom or how much they were overpaying for the amount of screentime I'd get."

"It's hell gettin' old," Veronica, Lily's makeup artist, tutted.

"I'm waiting for it," Lily grumbled, with a disappointed curl pulling back one side of her lips.

"Oh, you've got plenty of time," Olivia assured her, reaching over to give Lily's forearm a comforting squeeze. "It'll be years before they even think of floating a role like that by you."

Lily held up and crossed her fingers, joking, "Here's hoping!"

The afternoon went smoothly. The scenes with Emma's family were conversational and easy to map. There weren't a lot of takes and even the animals in the shots were easy to manage. A good portion of the daylight was given to a batch of tracking and long shots of Emma and other characters as they moved around the farm. It wasn't an especially taxing day for the cast or crew by any means. In fact, the schedule for the week would probably be the least amount of "work" and hours anyone could expect to put in for the duration of the shoot.

Alex was on hand for the day. He took some time for himself to take a couple of business calls in Lily's trailer, but could otherwise be found watching from the edge of the set. They chatted about Lily's scenes over the dinner break and he harmlessly flirted with the ladies in the hair and makeup trailer while Lily sat for a new look. All in all, Lily had a good day. By the time they were back in the SUV, with Drew chauffeuring them back to the hotel, she was already reading the notes for the next day.

Lily curled into Alex's side, in bed just after 11 o'clock. Her tiredness came from satisfaction of a job well done. She was eager for the next day on set, and the one after that; looking forward to filming with Sebastian the following week. For the night, she clung to Alex, a little disappointed he was on a plane back to LA in the morning. He had his own production starting soon, but for tonight they were wrapped up with each other.

Jessica held Lily's phone for her, while she was in front of the cameras. She answered her calls and sent generic replies to texts Lily received. She caught Lily up on any business and personal matters that came up, in between takes and on breaks. While Lily was stepping out of her last costume for the day, Jessica giggled at the voice on the other end. Smiling, she handed the phone off to Lily.

"Hello?"

"Marco."

Lily laughed out loud. "What?"

"I said, Marco," Sebastian repeated.

"Pollo," she giggled, in reply.

It was quiet for a beat, before Sebastian said, "Well, shit. That's not working. Why don't you just tell me where you are?"

"At work, silly," Lily told him, sitting down on the arm of the plush leather couch in her trailer to pull on a pair of leggings and not lose her balance, with the phone pinched between her shoulder and ear.

"Thought you'd be done by now," he figured.

"I am," she assured him. "We just finished for the day."

"Well, when are you gonna be home?" Sebastian griped. "I'm bored. There's nothing to do here."

"You're bored?" Lily parroted. "Sounds like a personal problem to me."

"Well, you and you're people are the only ones I know here," he went on, "so I'm counting on you to entertain me."

Lily sat up, with a confused wrinkle in her brow. "Seb, honey, where are you?"

She had Jessica's curiosity piqued by her question, as well. Lily stepped into a pair of flats, as Sebastian answered, "I'm in Vancouver."

"In Vancou-" Lily shook her head. " _Where_ in Vancouver?"

 ~~~~...

"Four Seasons," he smiled, peeking out his window from behind the gauzy white curtains in the bedroom of his suite.

"I thought you weren't due out here for a few days," Lily said.

"Yeah, no. I was," he agreed, his forehead a fraction from the window to see down the side of the building to the downtown street below. "I came up a couple days early. Rich had it worked into the schedule to get some photos done for the set guys."

"Really?" she asked. "When's that?"

"Saturday," Sebastian said, stepping back from the window to slowly pace a short path in the middle of the living room. "Didn't you get the memo?"

"Honestly, I'm looking at the call sheets daily," she explained, "not ahead."

"Well," he shrugged, "surprise!"

"Yeah," she laughingly agreed. "So, where are you now?"

"Four Seasons," he repeated. Sebastian wandered over to the dining table, flipping open the room service menu, while he added, "Over on West Georgia."

...

Lily smiled, taking her purse off Jessica's hands. "You're not too far from me," she noted, following Jessica out of her trailer. "I'm just up by the harbor; at the Fairmont."

Drew was waiting, with the SUV running. Lily smiled at him, when he opened the car door on her approach, and Sebastian joked, "Howdy neighbor."

"When did you get in?" she asked.

"Couple 'a hours ago," he told her. 

Lily grabbed Drew's wrist, turning it so she could see the time on his watch, before she slid into the back seat. "Are you hungry?" she questioned Sebastian. "Have you eaten? I haven't eaten since lunch. You should meet us for dinner."

"You sure?" Sebastian hesitated. "I didn't really mean to invite myself anywhere. I was just making a j-"

"No," Lily smiled, reaching across herself to pull on her seatbelt. "Don't be ridiculous. We're leaving now. We'll be back in the city in about a half hour. Meet us at the RawBar."

...

Sebastian looked at his watch, debating for a moment. "Okay. Sure," he shrugged. 

"Is that enough time?" Lily wondered.

"Of course," he insisted. "Plenty of time. You want me to get a table, if I beat you there?"

"Yeah," she agreed, and he heard her speaking away from the phone, talking to someone else. He flipped open the lid of his suitcase, while he waited for her to come back and say, "If you get there first, get a table for 5."

"5, including me," he double checked, "or plus me?"

"Including you," Lily confirmed. She changed her mind a moment later, saying, "No, don't worry about it. Just show up. Jess is calling now to set it up."

"Who's all going?" Sebastian asked, pulling his toiletries kit from the end of his suitcase to take to the bathroom.

"You and me, Jess, Drew, and Ami," she said. "At least I think Ami will come down. I'm not sure if he ate already. But the gang's all going to be there to entertain you, just like you said."

He stopped and put his travel kit on the vanity, a little worried still that he was intruding and excusing, "I didn't really mean you guys had to-"

"No no no," Lily quickly cut in. "The little Romanian prince demands to be entertained. The Prince shall be entertained."

Sebastian laughed, crushing his eyes closed and shaking his head. "Oh, for fuck's sake."

"I'll see you in a half hour," she promised. "I gotta go. Got another call coming in."

"See you there," he smiled.


	55. Chapter 55

As promised, Sebastian met Lily and her little entourage at the hotel restaurant in the lobby. He was a couple minutes early, but met up with Ami walking through the door. They didn't wait long before Lily and the others arrived. The group was shown immediately to a table on the side of the dining room.

While everyone enjoyed their meal, chatting and listening to the live music playing, Lily tolerated the sneaking looks she got from other tables. She did her best to ignore the distractions from the side of her eye of a few curious finger points and the occasional appearance of a phone for a subtle picture. Sebastian picked up on it when he realized Drew was intently staring someone down across the room. Sebastian followed his gaze and then watched, after Drew excused himself from the table for a minute and went to the front of the restaurant to speak to the hostess. 

As if he hadn't just done something, Drew returned to the table and went back to his meal, seamlessly dipping back into the conversation. No one else seeemd to notice or care what just happened. Sebastian looked back and realized the table Drew had been eyeing was suddenly empty and caught a glimpse of a couple of the male waitstaff escorting a man and woman out the door. He turned back to Drew, hoping to get some kind of clue to figure out what that was about, but everyone else was laughing at the punchline of Jessica's story and he figured he'd have to ask later. 

After dinner, the group left the resataruant, smiling together, as Ami led the way out and Drew casually followed from behind. In the lobby, Ami was fast to put up a hand to slow a handful of eager young women excitedly waving to Lily and Sebastian. The actors both smiled graciously for a couple of quick photos and signed some memorabilia, before hotel staff came along to shoo away the trespassing fans. Sebastian smiled to himself, after the encounter, pleased to see Lily entertaining fans again.

"You coming up?" Lily wondered, distractedly watching the passersby in the lobby over Sebastian's shoulder for a moment.

Sebastian winced, checking his watch. "Nah, it's getting late," he realized, "and you're back to work in the morning."

Lily shrugged. "That's okay. But you should stop by sometime before we leave town. This room is pretty awesome."

"It's not a room," Drew corrected, nonchalantly watching the people in the lobby. "It's obscene."

"It is a _little_ ridiculous," Lily admitted, with an innocent smile. "But it's still pretty awesome."

"The next party is two weeks from tomorrow," Jessica reminded Lily, checking the calendar in her phone. Jokingly adding, "But docent tours are available Tuesdays and Thursdays."

"Yes," she excitedly agreed. "You'll have to come for that. It's a little birthday day party for Mike O'Leary." It occurred to Lily, "Oo. You should probably stop by sometime this weekend to run lines, if you want, but come by whenever you like."

"Oh," Sebastian smiled, holding up his open palm to the offer. "Well, then I'll come by for the next tour." 

"This is gonna be so much fun," Lily beamed, with a small bounce on her toes.

Sebastian laughed and nodded. "It is," he happily seconded. He leaned in to peck a kiss at Lily's cheek and jerked this thumb toward the front door. "I'm gonna get out of here," he smiled, waving a hand at everyone. "Thanks for having me to dinner."

Drew put up a hand for Sebastian to wait. "Hold on," he said, moving to catch up with Sebastian and reaching into his pocket for the valet ticket. "People already know you're here. I'll drive you back."

Sebastian began to protest, putting up his hands to kindly wave Drew away, "That's okay, man. I'll ju-"

"I got it," Drew assured him and Sebastian relented with a shrug.

Drew turned over to his shoulder to nod and point at Ami. Ami nodded in reply and held up a hand to shepherd Lily and Jessica back to the room. Lily gave Sebastian a quick wave and smile, before she moved on to the elevators to go to her suite for the night. She was out of sight, by the time Sebastian looked back, before he stepped out the lobby doors with Drew. The body guard passed off the valet ticket and pocketed his hands, panning his watchful gaze around the activities at the curb.

"Hey," Sebastian piped up, taking a step closer to talk to Drew, "I gotta ask, when you got up at dinner, what'd you do?"

Drew shrugged. "There was a pap in the dining room," he said, as if it were a mundane story. "Had his camera ready on his leg under the table."

Sebastian snickered. "Are you fuckin' kidding me? The guy they kicked out with his wife, or whatever?"

"That's not his wife," Drew shook his head. "She had a camera in her purse."

"Are you ser-" Sebastian had to laugh. "How did you even know that?"

"She left her purse sitting on the table and moved it a couple times, without ever getting in it for anything," he explained. "The end of the bag was pointed at Lily's table." Drew subtly inclined his head, nodding to direct Sebastian's gaze over his shoulder. "They're still here," Drew pointed out.

Sebastian peeked past Drew's shoulder and spotted the "couple" from the restaurant. "Son of a bitch," he quietly marveled. He looked Drew in the eye, with a discerning squint. "How much are you paid an hour?"

Drew shook his head and laughed, pointing to the black SUV that pulled up to the curb. "Plenty," he assured Sebastian, stepping off the curb to tip the valet and get in the driver's seat.

Sebastian climbed in the passenger seat beside Drew. From the side of his eye, he caught the photographers taking aim at the car, now that Drew wasn't in their way of seeing Sebastian. Sebastian clicked on his seatbelt, telling Drew, "You should probably get a bonus."

Lily couldn't complain about Friday's long filming schedule at the farm. She spent the better part of the day with King Louis, riding when she could and watching, a bit enviously, when her stunt double took over during Lily's lunch break. Sunday was scheduled off for the cast and crew. Saturday had been rearranged to get Lily off set and split off part of the crew to set up photos for Pete and Lily. The guerilla style shoot dotted around several places the art director had scouted out around the city. 

Drew and Ami chauffeured Lily and Sebastian around town. The photography team followed in a full sized van, with their equipment and the bare bones making of the style departments. Rich was on hand to keep them all on schedule and make any last minute decisions. Wardrobe was changed on the fly, with hair and makeup literally working while their stars sat off the open back of the equipment van.

The team set up casual photos around the city and waterside. Sebastian and Lily were awkwardly posed in front of a photographer to give the impression of selfie style pics being taken. The crew set up some stills for promo and story boards, when the background of a small park they passed by gave someone a moment of inspiration. The shoot from the hip style and lack of a published schedule helped keep any media or fans off their trail, but Drew and Ami kept watch over the crew for any signs that people caught on. They were also earning a handsome stipend from the studio for their broadened scope for the day's work.

Wedding photos would be rushed through production when the scene was filmed on Tuesday. Saturday gave them the "present day" appearance they couldn't get from the old photos Lily and Sebastian had shared. Lily didn't ask which of their personal photographs they planned on using. She thought it might be more fun to be surprised. At the end of the long afternoon, they met up with a few of the other cast memebers at a charming bistro with an outside garden-style patio. They reserved the area to capture some "family photos", complete with a staged meal. 

When the marathon photo shoot was finished, the small ensemble and crew sat down for dinner. The tables were cleared and fresh food, that people could actually eat, was ordered. The group wound down the evening over drinks and casual conversations. The actors entertained their fellow diners with stories from other sets and the usually far behind the scenes crew enjoyed some rare quality time with the talent.

The small crew taking over part of the restaurant didn't go unnoticed for too long. When dinner broke up and the cast and crew started going their separate ways, there was a group of photogs and fans gathered on the sidewalk outside. The handful of actors smiled and signed autographs, as they made their way back to their hotels for the night. While Olivia and the others were accomplished and highly successful in their own rights, they were second tier compared to Lily's star power, passing through the crowd with relative ease. Ami and Drew kept their attention to Lily and Sebastian. The body guards moved them along rather quickly. 

On the ride to drop off Sebastian at the Four Seasons, Lily distractedly twisted the end of her ponytail around her fingertip. Sebastian grinned, watching her try to hide a small yawn behind the back of her hand, before she settled into her seat a little further. His attention was drawn away by the buzz of his phone in his pocket. The dim light from the screen in the back of the car caught Lily's eye and she looked over when Sebastian took the call.

"Hey," he smiled. "What are you up to?"

Lily watched for a moment, noting Sebastian's tone and vague smile as he spoke and listened. She figured it was his model calling. For a distraction, Lily took the opportunity to check her own phone. Scrolling through her email, it was impossible not to listen to Sebastian's half of the conversation, with him right next to her.

"Just heading back to the hotel. Had a busy day, trying to get the photos done and all. ...Yeah, I think we got 'em; think we're done. ...Nothing. Just finished dinner with everyone. Probably just crash on the couch and see what's on TV. ...Yeah, actually. Bummed a ride off her and her little militia for the day."

Ahead of them, Drew snorted quietly, shaking his head as he drove and Ami chuckled. Lily bit her thumbnail, trying not to laugh and turning her chin down a little further to hide her amusement.

"Well, it was- ...Uh huh." Sebastian exhaled slowly. "I know. So, how was your day?" He scratched his fingernail at a tiny snagged thread bumping above the rest of his jeans, as he listened. "Well, that sounds like fun," he smiled, with a small bob of his head. 

He turned his head, looking over the phone held in his hand to see out the window, when the SUV slowed to stop at a red light. A few buildings seemed familiar and he figured they were getting close to home. Sebastian glanced at Lily, still reading on her phone. He let his head fall back into the headrest, pursing his lips in boredom, while Gabriella went on about a spokesmodel offer she'd been given.

"I thought you don't like the brand..."

Lily looked up. It had been quiet for a minute in the car, before Sebastian had spoke up again. He caught her look and they exchanged quick smiles, before he dropped his head again to listen.

"If you don't like how they do business, why would you want your face associated with them? ...Then don't do it. Someone else'll- ...Well, yeah, it is a lot of money, but if- ...Well, okay then. Sounds like you have your answer, doesn't it? ...No, I'm not tryin' ta- All I'm asking is, is the money more important than sticking to your-"

Lily realized she was staring, curious about what Sebastian was talking about and why he moved his phone down to his lap, despite the call still clearly being connected. She quickly snapped her gaze back to her phone. From the side of her eye, Lily saw him sigh and turn his eyes up to the roof, before putting the phone back to his ear and humming an answer as if he'd never left the conversation. 

"Well, talk to your agent about it. ...Yeah, I'm sure it'll work out." Sebastian tipped in his seat, peeking out the windshield. "Hey, let me call you back. I'm just pulling up to the hotel. ...No, I'm n- I'll call you back when I get upstairs. ...Uh huh. Yeah...me, too. Bye."

Lily lifted her eyes again, checking out her window. They were at his hotel, like he said. She tucked her phone back into her purse and flashed Sebastian a smile.

"Everything alright?" she wondered. "Was that the lovely Ms. Holm?"

Sebastian nodded, taking off his seatbelt and shifting to pocket his phone again. "Yeah."

"How's the life of a Swedish supermodel these days?" Lily asked, impressed with how genuine she managed to make the question sound.

"She got an offer for a big multimedia campaign for next spring," he seemed to complain.

"Sounds fancy," Lily quipped.

Sebastian rolled his eyes, inhaling before he asked, "Remember a couple years ago, when everybody got all outraged because they found out the company that owns Warren Cosmetics bought a company in Japan that does whaling?"

"Yeesh," Lily winced. "Yeah..."

"Yeah, so, Ella was one of the ones who made a big show out of it," he explained. "Not, like, overly publicly, but she stopped wearing their makeup; going to their parties and stuff."

"And now, Ella's..." Lily led him on, although she figured she knew where he was going, and choosing to ignore the sour taste his girlfriend's nickname left.

"She's gonna be the new face of Warren Cosmetics," he flatly concluded.

"Seriously?" she still held out hope.

Sebastian nodded. "She's right though, it's a shit ton of money, and a two year contract."

"So much for principles," Lily muttered. She frose, realizing she said that out loud, and turned to Sebastian to apologize. "I'm sorry. That was mean. She can make a living howev-"

Chuckling, Sebastian promised, "It's okay." He sighed off his laugh and shook his head. "It's just business, right?"

"Right," Lily tittered.

"Well, this is my stop," Sebastian said, pointing out the window. "Better call her back, so she doesn't think I'm not being supportive."

Lily snickered at his smirk. "Oh, heaven forbid," she smiled.

With another roll of his eyes, Sebastian popped the door handle before leaning over to grace Lily's cheek with a kiss. "Exactly," he grumbled with a smile. "I'll see ya on Monday, Lil."

Lily gave him a small wave goodbye, as Sebastian slid out of the backseat. Ami was waiting for him by the door, wishing him a good night after Sebastian did the same. Ami shut the door and went back to his seat up front, as Sebastian headed for the lobby doors. 

Lily hopped across the seat bench, rolling down the car window and calling out, "Bas!"

Sebastian stopped, turning on his heal, with his brow peaked in curiosity. He took a couple steps back when Lily waved him over, questioning, "What's up?"

"Almost forgot," she beamed. "I chartered a boat tomorrow, for a tour of the harbour and lunch. You should come."

Sebastian hestitated, debating if he should. His mind flashed back to the mild annoyance in Gabriella's voice when she asked him a few minutes ago if Lily was around after the shoot. He licked at his lip and bit.

"Tomorrow?" he stalled.

"Yeah," she enthusiastically nodded. "There's plenty of room. Unless you've got better plans."

Sebastian smiled, cocking his head to admit, "No, no plans."

"Okay then," Lily decided for him. "11 o'clock at my hotel. The Chairman's Suite." She started to put the window up before he could back out, winking, before she disappeared behind the dark tinted glass again, "Don't forget your sailor hat."


	56. Chapter 56

Skipping down the stairs to the first floor salon, Lily grinned at hearing Sebastian saying hello to Drew at the door. She checked her white Chanel ceramic and diamond watch on her wrist. He was a few minutes early, but she was ready to go. 

"Holy shit, Lil," Sebastian laughed, slowly turning to take in the two story salon and view, before turning his attention to her. "This isn't a room, it's an apartment."

"Oh, it gets much worse," Drew assured him, with a serious nod.

Lily frowned at both of them, planting her hands into her hips with a small huff. Jessica was snickering, as she wrapped her phone charger around her hand and packed it away into a tote. Ami walked in from the adjoining room he shared with Drew, announcing that the car was being brought up by the valet as he spoke.

Sebastian balked, snapping his arm up to point accusingly toward the door behind Ami. "There's another fuckin' suite attached to this one?! Jesus Christ, Lil. Did ya buy the whole floor?"

Dropping her hip and crossing her arms, Lily noted, "I don't hear anyone complaining."

"I am _not_ complaining," Ami casually shrugged.

"Me either," Drew chimed in, moving to wait by the suite door to the hallway with Ami.

"I never complain," Jessica pointed out, with a grin.

"Bunch 'a freeloaders," Sebastian decided, "that's why."

Lily put on a panama styled white straw hat with a black band to compliment her white linen pants and a stone embellished white halter top. On her way to the door, Jessica shouldered her tote and passed off a pair of black Jackie Ohh's from Ray-Ban to Lily. Lilian checked herself in the reflection of her sunglass lenses and tucked a few stray tendrils of hair, pulled down from from her twisted updo under her hat, behind her ears. Sebastian wasn't sure how much work actually went into putting the chic ensemble together, but Lily made it all look effortless.

With a wide grin, Lily reached out her free hand toward Sebastian, wiggling her fingers for his attention. "Ready to go?"

"Sure," he agreed, smiling back, as he bent out the crook of his elbow for her to fold her hand around. 

The Chairman's Suite should have been a clue, but Sebastian shook his head at the "boat" Lily had chartered for the day. It was a bonafide yacht. Sebastian eyeballed it at easily over 100 feet long. Ami and Drew wished them _bon_ _voyage_ , staying ashore while the others met the movie's director, their costar Michael, and a few producers onboard. The boat's captain met them at the bottom of the gangway, welcoming everyone and inviting them aboard. Before departing, the group took a brief tour of the four staterooms and dining and entertaining areas of the yacht. 

Everyone gathered around the table in the aft of the lower deck, enjoying a service of mimosas as the crew prepared to shove off. A crew member came back to introduce himself and give a quick itinerary for the day. They would cruise around the harbour for lunch, before heading out into English Bay and beyond for some fishing. If they had a good day, the chef would prepare the catch for dinner. Sebastian didn't know the cruise would be such an adventure and said so. 

"You didn't know you'd have to work for your dinner?" Jason laughed.

"She said we were going for a cruise of the harbour," Sebastian pointed at Lily.

"Which we _are_ ," Lily argued. 

"You didn't say anything about salmon fishing and shit," he playfully griped.

Lily laughed. "What," she begged, "like you'd have worn different shoes or something?"

Sebastian waved a hand up and down her. "Oh," he doubted, "like you're really going fishing in that getup."

"I will," she accepted the challenge. Lily patted a hand on her director's arm. "Jason's gonna teach me." Sebastian shook his head, smiling into a sip of his glass. "And I'm gonna catch a bigger fish than you," she arrogantly promised.

The challenge from Lily started a long discussion about sport fishing, while the group cruised around the harbor. Lily snapped pictures with her phone, squishing everyone together for a selfie. She saved the photo for later, teasing that way she'd have something to post online, if nobody caught any fish. Lunch was served, before the yacht headed out of the harbor. The kitchen staff would keep snacks coming throughout the day and a bartender was always available for anyone needing their waters or spirits refreshed.

A couple hours later, with the boat anchored near the bay, Jason began his tutorial of open water fishing. A crew member was on hand to assist and instruct anyone who needed it. Fishing poles and other equipment came with the charter. Not everyone had the nerve to jump right in. Lily opted to stand back and watch for a little while, to see how hard or easy, according to a few of the guys, it could be. Sebastian stepped right up, joking he might need the head start, just in case Lily turned out to be a "fish whisperer". A title Lily doubted out loud, but secretly hoped was true, just to rub it in the faces of the men. If not her, then she made a wish for Jessica to be a ringer.

As it turned out, they might as well have been shooting fish in a barrel. Everyone brought something in. Commemorative photos captured the prize worthy catches. Some of the smaller fish were dropped back in. The ones that weighed in over 20 pounds were added to a list Jessica was keeping in her phone, to find out who the big winner for the day would be. After the few hours of marathon fishing, Sebastian netted the larger catch, much to the relief of his male ego. It was a game won by ounces, though. With the bounty of fresh Chinook onboard, the adventurers could have fed a small army. In this case, a couple meals to go for her bodyguards on land and whatever was left for the crew would be sure none of it went to waste.

The boat anchored back in the bay for dinner, affording the Hollywood types views of the shoreline beginning to twinkle in the warm light of the sun sinking slowly into the ocean. They laughed over food and wine, already beginning to exaggerate their fish stories. As dessert was served, the captain cruised slowly back toward the yacht's berth in the harbor. By then, the long afternoon of sun and fishing was catching up with everyone. Most everyone drifted inside toward the bar, for the remainder of the trip. Lily had covered up with a black cardigan, from Jessica's bag, to shield herself from the breeze at the bow of the boat to take more pictures.

Sebastian noticed her slip away and followed. He spotted her near the ship's bell, resting a knee into the wooden bench at the boat's wall to frame a picture of the yacht and the approaching shoreline. He admired her for a minute, his shoulder leaned into the corner at the end of the promenade and his hand pocketed in the chill of the breeze. Smiling to himself, when he saw her grin with approval of the photograph she had taken, he straightened up and walked over.

"If I'd have known this is how you entertain your costars on days off," he began, "I'd have been at every casting call you ever had."

Lily turned her attention up from her phone, flashing him a smile and explaining, with a quick shrug, "Well, ya can't take it with ya. Might as well have some fun."

"True," Sebastian agreed, pocketing his hands as he leaned forward to see the photo on her screen.

Turning to sit on the bench, Lily showed him the phone again, offering, "Wanna see?"

Sebastian nodded, taking a seat next to Lily. She found the start of the pictures for the boat trip, swiping through each one for him to see. She stopped for a moment on the picture Jessica took of Lily's salmon, complaining that the fish looked bigger than the winner he had caught. He argued she was clearly mistaken, as the camera adds ten pounds.

"I feel like I ate ten pounds," Sebastian groaned, pushing out his gut to give it a pat.

"It was delicious, right?" Lily beamed.

"Yeah," he smiled, slouching comfortably. "Thanks for inviting me, Benny. I'm gonna have to come up with something to do around here to treat you to before we leave town. You're already up a dinner and a fishing trip. What's left?"

With an exaggerated look of thought scrunching up her nose, Lily hummed in contemplation. "Well, we did salmon fishing," she said, "so, obviously, the next step if wrestling a bear."

"Oh, obviously," he sarcastically nodded.

"Bucky did it," she casually reminded him.

"We're not wrestling a bear," Sebastian put his foot down. "Besides, it's probably illegal."

"Party pooper," Lily pretended to sulk.

"We'll come up with something to do before we get out of here," he ignored her.

Lily nudged his side with her elbow. "Did you have fun today?" she asked, biting at the side of her lip while she waited out his thoughtful nod.

"I did," he decided, with a contented grin. "I never would have thought of this." He frowned, correcting, "The fishing, I mean."

"Stick with me, kid," Lily winked, with a sure nod and pout. "You'll do it all."

They shared a chuckle, and Sebastian agreed, "You do live a hell of a life, Benny."

"It does have its moments," she nodded, tugging down the ends of her sleeves to hold in her palms, as she folded her arms over herself.

Sebastian slid over a few inches and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He wasn't much warmer. His polo shirt offered little warmth for himself after the sun sank behind them, but he figured his arm and the heat from them leaned together was better than nothing. Lily didn't seem to disagree, slouching down a little to better fit under his arm. Sebastian looked over the top of her head bent down to his shoulder. He could see the city getting closer, spotting the slip where the yacht fit in among the company's other charters, as they cruised into the harbor.

Lily patted a hand on his knee, telling him, "I'm glad you came along."

"Me, too," he smiled, although she couldn't see.

"This was a good way to start off the shoot tomorrow."

It wasn't the reason he thought of when he thought about coming on the trip, but he didn't argue. Instead, he hummed his reply. He turned his head again, resting his chin atop her hair, as he watched the docks approaching. Lily gave his knee another tap.

"What are you doing after this?" she wondered.

Sebastian made a shrug small enough not to disturb her, but still say he had no plans. "Nothing."

"We should run lines, if you have the time," Lily suggested. "Probably should have done that some yesterday, too."

"We can do that," he said. "I don't have my script or anything with me, though."

"That's okay," she assured him. "I've got mine. Just come back to the hotel with us."

The pause wasn't long enough to be noticed, before Sebastian consented, "Sure."

Drew and Ami were waiting at the end of the gangway, when the boat docked. Jessica carried a small pile of containers with dinners for the bodyguards. Lily had asked the chef to wait to prepare the meals so they were as fresh as they could be. The salmon literally left the skillet when the boat was attaching its mooring lines. Sebastian had grinned and shook his head to himself at the things Lily could get people to do with just a smile.

Hearing that Lily and Sebastian were going to run lines, Jason's enthusiasm for the idea earned him, and one of the producers, an invitation to join them from Lily. He followed along, in his rental car with Ian, back to Lily's hotel. In Lily's suite, Jessica fired up her computer for Jason to bring up a copy of the latest version of the screenplay from his email. He and Ian followed along on Jessica's MacBook, while Sebastian and Lily shared her script as needed. The small production gathered in the first floor salon. They walked through a couple of dry runs for some of the scenes, while Drew and Ami took in the free show over their dinner at the table.

Having Jason on hand helped give them an idea for the tone he wanted set. The actors bounced ideas off of him and each other, making notes of when a misspoken line might work better than what was on paper and of any mannerisms or inflections to remember in front of the cameras. Ian had joked they should do this every night before filming and Jason agreed, but only if Lily was going to take them out on dinner cruises beforehand.

They worked for a couple of hours, before calling it a night. Everyone felt very prepared for the next day. Sebastian's first day had him working almost exclusively with Lily out at the farm. He had one scene with Emma's parents to shoot, but the rest of the schedule was built around Pete and Emma at the farm and at a bar downtown the crew had booked for the night to film the movie couple's reunion scene. The group parted ways just before midnight. It was a late call for everyone, but it had still been a long day. Her guests all left with their thanks for the day's adventure and kisses for their hostess' cheek. Ami drove Sebastian back to his hotel and Lily slipped into the tub for a relaxing soak before bed.

Lily's car arrived on set just before noon. They had a couple of hours worth of work scheduled for the farm, before packing up to go back into the city for the rest of the day's filming. From her chair in the hair and makeup trailer, Lily showed off some of the photos from the boat trip to the girls in between trading messages with Alex. Lily was sure to forward the pic of Jessica with her catch to her phone, before posting the first group photo they had taken the day before to share online. Lily tagged everyone and the movie, writing a comment about how excited she was that the full cast had reported for filming.

She cropped down the picture of her with her own Chinook to share on Instagram. While Lily was getting her final touches, Sebastian came into the trailer. He lightly scratched a finger on Lily's shoulder, saying hello and smiling back at her reflection while her hairdresser was smoothing her style. He didn't want to interrupt, he said. Lily laughed and waved a dismissive hand, twisting in her chair to point around the space and introduce the crew to him. When she was done, she settled back in her seat and her stylist got back to work. Sebastian took his seat in the chair beside Lily's and his stylist got to combing through his hair.

"I posted a couple of pictures," Lily brightly offered, turning only her eyes to him in the mirror.

"I haven't been on today," he admitted.

"I tagged you," she promised.

Sebastian took his phone from his jeans pocket to look. Jessica came into the trailer, carrying a bottle of water with a straw in it to pass off to Lily. Sebastian declined her offer to get him anything, after Jessica said her hello. He found Lily's posts at the top of his notifications and scrolled through. He "liked" the selfie of everyone packed together at the table. For the picture of Lily's fish and her proud smile, he gave it a "like" and commented, "Nice catch". He smirked to himself at the double meaning and set his phone up on the counter in front of him.

Lily eyed his grin, suspiciously, asking, "What'd you do?"

His jaw fell open in offense. "What'd I do?" he balked. "Nothing."

"You post something?" she suspected. "You have a track record of being a little shit online."

"If anyone has a track record of being a shit online, it's _you_ ," he asserted. "Don't think I've forgotten about the shit you pulled in New York." A wicked smile split Lily's lips and she chuckled to herself. "See?" he accused, pointing at her in the mirror. "You know who the real problem is."

"You started it," she shrugged, taking a sip through her straw.

"I'm not gonna play into anymore of your shenanigans, Lil," he told her, with a firm sweep of his head. "I know your tricks."

"We'll see," she vaguely threatened.


	57. Chapter 57

Lily's makeup artist was just finishing up, when Jessica came into the trailer to ask, "Is there anything you can think of _at all_ , before I go?"

"Go?" Sebastian wondered. "Where to?"

"Home," Jessica smiled.

Sebastian snorted and teased, "What'd you forget at home this time?"

Out of her chair and walking behind Sebastian's, Lily gave the back of his head a little push as she passed. He frowned at her in the mirror, smoothing a hand down the back of his hair, hoping not to have had Lily undo any of his stylist's work. With his free hand, he swiped blindly behind him, smacking his hand into Lily's leg and making her jump.

"Ass," she grumbled, shooting him a dirty look. Turning her attention to her assistant, Lily's expression lifted and she pleasantly said, "No, thanks. All set here."

"I'll catch up with you guys in Portland," Jessica promised, handing Lily her phone to read.

"You should get out while you still have a chance," Sebastian warned, pointing at Jessica in the mirror. "Keep running and don't look back."

"Ignore him," Lily rolled her eyes, scrolling through a message from Fox Studios about a perspective project. "I know _I'm_ trying to."

"You know you like it," Sebastian smirked, sitting up a little straighter at his stylist's prompting.

"Ami's taking me to the airport," Jess reminded Lily. "Drew is still here, the dry cleaning should be back at the hotel by 4 and they'll put it in your room, and Fox emailed to change the delivery of your script from Monday to Wednesday."

"Perfect," Lily nodded. "As usual. Have a good flight."

Jessica said her goodbyes and left with a wave to the stars and crew in the trailer. Lily closed her email and turned to give her thanks to the ladies of the department. Sebastian chimed in his praise, moving around Lily to open the door for them to go to the set. Drew was waiting outside to walk with them. 

"So, what's Jess gonna do with actual time to herself?" Sebastian checked. "No you bossing her around, having her pick up your dry cleaning and delivering your mail."

Giving him a gentle shove in the arm, Lily explained, "She's going home so there's someone there while it's being remodeled."

"Remodeled?" Sebastian balked. "There's not a chip in the paint or scuff on the floor."

"Well," Lily thought for a moment. "Let's see. The roof is being redone," she began keeping track of projects on her fingers. "I'm updating the kitchen appliances, so I have to have the countertops replaced. Oh, and I'm repainting two guest rooms, my office, and the dining room. Some new furniture and stuff."

Sebastian snickered, shaking his head. "You _have_  to replace countertops? Are you serious? What for? Are you even home enough to know the difference?"

"I'm home," Lily smirked. "I've been putting it off until I was gone, to get it all get done in one shot."

"Didn't know Jessica did carpentry and such," Sebastian chuckled.

"Somebody's gotta do quality control," Lily shrugged.

They climbed the porch steps to the house, meeting their director just inside the door as Lily passed off her phone to Drew for safe keeping The crew was bustling around in the dining room and kitchen, double checking measurements and lighting with the stand-ins. They ran over a few reminders about motivation and blocking for the scene and did a walk-through of the marks, as Jason gave his notes. Lily and Sebastian did a quick run of the scene, trading lines while Jason helped with a bit of narration for what he expected from the scene as they went. When they were all done asking questions and making suggestions, the actors went to their first marks and the room settled down.

"Quiet, please," Jason called. 

Lily shook out her hands and loosened her shoulders, taking a quick peek down at her toes to check her position against the taped mark on the hardwood floor. When she looked back up at Sebastian, he grinned, wagging his brow up and down. While the sound and camera man both answered that they were rolling, Lily grinned back at Sebastian to get it out of her system. When the first slate of the week's production was clapped there was a smattering of applause and Lily giggled. Jason gave everyone a moment to quiet themselves and his stars to straighten their faces, before he cued the scene to begin.

"If you don't get out of here," Lily warned, with a point of her finger, "and my dad catches you..."

"Aw, come on, Em," Sebastian begged, with a doleful expression and cock of his head. "Gimme five minutes." Lily let out a groan of a sigh and turned to walk away into the kitchen. "Five minutes! Come on," he repeated, following after her.

The camera moved on its track, guided by the dolly grip to keep pace with Sebastian's hurried steps into the next room. They caught up to Lily in the kitchen, where she was readying to cut some vegetables at the counter. Sebastian found his mark just behind her shoulder, already giving his next lines.

"Em, just hear me out, okay?" he hoped, bending a little to be in Lily's periphery. "I'm better now." Lily didn't react. She started washing some carrots under the sink, while he went on. "I did what you wanted. I started going to the meetings and I got me a sponsor and- Look." Sebastian reached into his pocket, meaning to pull out an AA coin, but came up literally empty handed. He went with it, showing her his open palm and saying, "I was gonna tell ya I've been sober two months and I was gonna show you my coin, but-" He shrugged, losing to the smile creeping onto his face and pointing his finger into his palm. "It'd be right about here, except I haven't gotten it from Props yet. But I swear, I'm tellin' the truth!"

Glancing down to his empty hand, Lily shut her eyes and couldn't help but snicker. Several others giggled and someone from props silently stepped in to hand Sebastian the coin.

Holding it up, proudly, for her to see, Sebastian beamed, "See? Told ya."

Lily lost it, crumpling forward and catching herself on the counter for support as she burst into laughter. She waved her hand overhead, begging him to stop as Sebastian tried to show her the coin, his hand keeping the coin in his fingertips in front of her face as she tried to move away. At least she wasn't the only one laughing. The shot was clearly a loss. Lily turned off the faucet and dried her hands, shaking her head and pressing her lips together to compose herself. Sebastian shook his downturned head, with a helpless smile and shrug, tucking the coin away in his jeans.

"Okay, cut," Jason said. "Everyone, back to one. Reset and get a new slate. ...At least we got a good take for the gag reel."

Everyone shared a laugh, as the camera was pushed back through the hall and into the first shot of the dining room. Sebastian patted the gold coin in his pocket for later and Lily lined her toes up with her tape. When the camera and props were reset, the room was silenced and the scene began again.

The shooting at the farm went relatively smoothly, finding a decent pace after the first take. A weighty portion of the script rested on the strained relationship between Pete and Emma. The laughter after the first slip up with Props was a tension breaker, reminding everyone to still have fun. By the time they broke for dinner, and travel back into town, they had already filmed three long and, at times, emotional scenes. At the bar set, it was time to switch gears.

Local media had been advertising the crew's arrival since before production started. With the company actually in town, they had been writing and filming blurbs about road closures and shooting schedules that ran on the evening news. When Lily's car pulled up to the barricades for the set, there was a small crowd already on either side of the road. While Ami pulled around to the reserved parking spot on the side of the bar the studio had rented out, Lily was finishing the last few bites of her turkey wrap. 

Lily was met in the lot by one of the PAs and ushered inside by her security. She gave a smiling, overhand wave to the small crowd at the end of the closed set when they caught sight of her behind Drew. Inside, the crew was putting the finishing touches on the extras and giving them directions to follow when filming began. In the corner of the main room of the bar, hair and makeup had set up a couple stations and Sebastian was already in the chair getting touched up. Lily patted his shoulder, to say she was there, on her way past him to go to the back office Wardrobe had taken over. 

In her next costume, Lily sipped on a cup of coffee while her hair was restyled and makeup added to. The dimmer lighting in the bar would do everyone a favor by taking a couple years off the actors' faces, but it didn't stop Lily from joking about trying to get her artist to hide the bags she swore she saw under her eyes and the wrinkles when she smiled. When her look was finished, Lily walked over to the bar area to find Sebastian and Sean talking about their scenes. The first AD waved her over, pointing out the bar stool they had framed for Lily during Emma's conversation with Pete.

While Lily was situated at the bar, the extras were put into place. The overhead lights of the bar were shut off in favor of the preset lighting for the scene. Crew fussed over light meters and measurements, one last time, while her hair dresser fluffed Lily's hair to drape just so over her shoulder and take a reference picture. The "bartender" passed her a candy colored water in a cocktail glass to sip on.

Sebastian and Lily ran through Pete and Emma's reunion scene at the bar, putting down several good takes, interspersed with some flubs and fumbles. They moved on, after a short break to set up equipment, into the background where Emma and Pete joined the rest of Matt's friends in the scene. Indoor shooting wrapped up in about five hours. The cast took another break while the crew shifted outside to the bar's parking lot.

"That was good, right?" Sebastian checked with Lily, walking with her and Drew out the door of the bar to move on to the next scene.

"I thought so," she smiled.

The spectators on the edge of the closed street sparked to life at catching a glimpse of the two leads, as they exited the building. Lily and Sebastian both waved, before making the turn across the front of the building to get to the parking lot on the side.

"It's just, ya know," Sebastian shrugged. "The first time we did it at the screen test, it just felt more...I don't know, natural."

"It was great," Lily assured him, with a touch of his arm. "Obviously, they liked it, or we'd still be inside working on it instead of- Holy fuck! Freezing our asses off? When the hell did it get cold?"

Sebastian laughed, realizing himself, after a breeze caught them at the edge of the building, that the temperature had taken a noticeable dive than when they first arrived. "I don't know."

"Rain's coming in later," Drew said, jutting his chin for them to see the crew scurrying around to get the rain covers over the equipment.

Lily wrapped her arms around herself. Emma's sequin decorated tank top wasn't much defense against the weather, but Lily was thankful to at least be in jeans instead of a skirt or dress. Even Sebastian gave a small shiver, adjusting to the chilled air. He wasn't sure if Lily's moment of chattering teeth was a joke of exaggeration or not, but he side stepped to hook an arm around her shoulders to try and warm her up, anyway.

"Here," Drew piped up. "Better solution."

Lily looked over her shoulder to see him shrugging off his suit jacket. She slipped out of Sebastian's arm and wrapped the coat over her shoulders, folding it closed over her with a smile and her, "Thanks." when Drew said he didn't need it; the air was just fine for him.

Sebastian noticed Drew shift were he stood behind Lily and turned to see that he and Ami were actually in the way of both of them being clearly seen by the crowd on the street. As he pulled his attention back toward the set in front of them, Sebastian caught a subtle tip of Drew's head and noticed several high end cameras and long lenses in the gathered onlookers. Sebastian casually took a step away from Lily, nodding to himself and Drew.

"Okay," Jason smiled, clapping and rubbing his hands together, as he approached. "This is unexpected. You guys okay? You warm enough? They're gonna get some blankets out here in just a minute." He noticed Drew's jacket on Lily, joking, "Well, aren't you ahead of the game." The small group chuckled and the director went on, "We've got about 35-40 minutes before the rain comes in. If we can't get it before that?" He shrugged. "We're screwed here. It's rain all night. We can maybe find a stand-in for the exterior and squeeze a reshoot in in Portland. But let's really aim for getting this done fast here."

"Yeah," Sebastian snorted, holding out a hand to the costume mistress hurrying towards them with a couple of capes and coats over her arm, "no pressure, or anything."

"We got this," Lily scoffed, politely waving away the offer of a coat, saying she was fine with Drew's.

Jason quickly walked them through the scene and their blocking. The crew had made their adjustments to the equipment and were set. Wardrobe took the coats from the actors, the costumer nodding her understanding to be careful and not lose Drew's jacket. While the director called for quiet and made his instructions to the crew, Lily bounced on her toes, trying to keep warm. Beside her, Sebastian snickered, shaking his head.

"It's cold," Lily mumbled her excuse for fidgeting.

"I know," he quietly agreed. "It'll be okay. Last scene tonight. I'll buy you a hot chocolate when we're done."

"Deal," she firmly nodded, stilling herself, as she saw Jason had everyone settled and was ready to call "action".

Sebastian and Lily started off on a lazy walk into the lot. Lily did her best not to look too cold, while Sebastian delivered his lines.

"So, what d'ya think?" he wondered, casually stuffing his hand in his pockets. "Think you'll come?"

"To the wedding?" she balked. Lily bit her lip and looked up to the sky, a little petulant, "I don't know. I mean, I'm sure it'll be great." She threw out a hand to reference him. "And it was so good to see you guys again, but..." She shrugged. "It's been so long, and I don't really know anyone anymore an'-"

"You know me," he eagerly spoke up. Sebastian jerked his thumb behind him. "And you know the groom and the guys."

"That's me," Lily noted, pointing to a car and giving their walk some direction.

"C'mon," Sebastian urged, turning to get in front of her and walking backward as he pled his case to her. Lily snickered, shyly, as he begged, "People will get a kick out of seeing you again. Besides, free dinner _and_ dessert."

"I do like cake," Lily playfully mused, arching up an intrigued brow, before she dug a set of car keys out of her purse and hit the remote to unlock the car door.

"So, it's settled," he happily decided. "What time should I pick you up?"

"Pick me up?" she gaped. 

"Well, yeah," Sebastian nonchalantly shrugged, tipping to lean his side against the car. "It's invite only, so, you know, you'll have to go with someone who's invited."

"Oh, _really_?" she nodded. Glancing back at the building, she pointed out, "I thought Matt just invited me."

"Okay, yeah," he conceded, "but you don't have, like, an _actual_ invitation in hand."

"And they'll be checking at the door?" she pressed, falling back to rest against the car door.

"Of course," Sebastian emphatically insisted, shifting to settle himself from his side to sit against the car next to Lily. "It's a pretty big deal. Don't want just anybody crashing, ya know." A kind of bashfulness came to his smile, when he offered, "Besides, my invitation already has this "plus one" thing, so there's a seat next to me."

"You want me to be you're _plus one_?" Lily checked, a little incredulous.

"Well, not when you say it like that," he scoffed, his face pinching in such offense that it made Lily giggle when she wasn't scripted to. Her hand went to her face to shyly hide her smile, while Sebastian went on, playing sweetly off the miscue. "I missed that smile." Lily let the moment hang, taking it to let her expression soften, when he got back on script with his next line, "It'd be fun to hang out again. You and me. It'll be just like old times, Em. Like prom all over again."

"Yeah?" Lily debated, chewing on the side of her lip.

"Yeah," he promised, with a meek but earnest smile, as he slid a few inches along the car so his shoulder touched hers, both of them still running the scene, despite the tiny rain drops each of them figured the other was feeling too. "I promise, it'll be better than all the proms and homecomings put together, Laramie," he offered, with a gentle nudge of his elbow.

Lily smiled tightly, shaking her head and trying to hold back her charmed laughter. Her smile broke, her teeth pulling her lower lip into her mouth, as she tittered. And Sebastian followed the script to dot a nervous kiss to her cheek. Lily's reaction was bashful, her breath halting with surprise. A charming grin tugged back the corner of his mouth, before Sebastian leaned in to kiss Lily, cupping her cheek in his hand to gently guide her lips to his.

As if on cue, the clouds opened and the rain fell. The stars broke their kiss, straightening off the car and blinking up into the falling rain, laughing. Without missing a beat, Sebastian tugged Lily's arm to move her so he could open the car door. She scurried inside, wiping her damp hair back from her cheek, as Sebastian shut the door and laughingly told her to call him.

"Cut!" Jason yelled. 

Sebastian hurried to the shelter of the pop up tent over camera 2 and the monitors, shaking his arms to fling off the rain. The PA was off to rescue Lily from the car, with an umbrella. She was laughing by the time she met everyone under the tent.

"35 to 40 minutes my ass!" Sebastian said. 


	58. Chapter 58

The costume mistress was passing back coats while the cast and crew outside huddled under the cramped shelter of the pop up tents in the lot. Lily smoothed her hair back away from her face and Sebastian patted his face dry with the sleeve of his jacket. Everyone was enjoying a good natured laugh at Mother Nature's timing.

"Well," Jason sighed, with a smile, "I guess we'll call it an early night."

His assistant asked if he wanted to see the replay and the director nodded. Jason, Lily, and Sebastian shuffled around to be able to see the monitors. They watched the scene together. It went smoothly and played well, despite Lily's unintentional laugh. When the playback was over, Lily and Sebastian turned to Jason for his thoughts. 

"Huh," the director mused, his gaze still ticking back and forth between the monitors. "You know, I think that might have got it done."

"Are you serious?" Sebastian chuckled.

"I mean, I laughed in the middle of his-"

Jason shook his head, waving a hand up to stop the apology Lily was just beginning. "No, I mean it," he insisted, with a thoughtful nod. "I think that may have done it. It worked. The laugh and, Sebastian, your little comment there. I like that." He cocked his head, holding out his upturned palm to the monitors, saying, "I mean, I know the script didn't call for rain, but you can't shoot a better scene for a love story than a kiss in the rain, right?"

"I thought you were gonna call it when it started," Sebastian mentioned.

"So much for the weatherman," Lily quipped.

"I honestly didn't notice it'd started until it _really_ started," Jason admitted, with a laugh. "I was too busy watching you guys, or I probably would have. But no, guys, that was great. I'll have another look at it on the big screens later. If there's something so wrong we can't tweak it with some editing, we'll work a reshoot in, but I think we can use this."

Lily was proud, and her smile showed it. It put a grin on Sebastian's own face. A couple crew members had brought out towels and umbrellas from the trailers. Lily patted a towel over her hair and her face, huddling next Drew holding an umbrella over them on their way back inside the bar. Costumes were returned to Wardrobe and her stylist combed out Lily's hair so it dried without tangles. The crew stayed behind to strike the set while the two principle cast members headed for the door.

"You need a ride home?" Lily checked, while Drew stepped out the door ahead of her to open an umbrella for them.

"Nah," he grinned, jerking his thumb toward the short line of cars at the curb. "Still got my driver."

"Don't say I didn't offer," she teased, pointing a cautioning finger his way as she stepped under the umbrella next to Drew.

"Never," he promised, pocketing his hands to wait the few seconds it took for his studio hired chauffeur to meet him at the building entranace with an umbrella. 

With the steady rain, Lily was happy shooting had been called early. It was perfect sleeping weather. Once she had a few quiet minutes in her room, she was aware of how tired she was. She had worried herself throughout the afternoon, thinking ahead to the scene they did in one take in the rain; the one where her character and Sebastian's kissed. It was the first occasion of several for the script. Lily had been so focused on her lines and blocking that when it finally came up, she was almost as surprised as Emma should have been. She was relieved she didn't have time to think about it or let the moment build up in her head. It helped to see it didn't seem to be a concern for Sebastian.

She didn't realize until about halfway into the schedule for the day how anxious she had been, for reasons besides the first kiss. The first day of filming with Sebastian would be the hint about how things would go. It always was on a film for her. If the scenes went smoothly, the rest of the production somehow always fall in line. It seemed, Pete and Emma were clicking and, when Lily settled in to bed, she felt confident everything was going to turn out okay.

And she was right. The cast and crew moved through the rest of the scenes scheduled for the next several days like a hot knife through butter. Long, busy days and nights and shifting schedules didn't matter, when scenes flowed like water and the worst hitch in a day was a missed line or an adjustment to the lighting. By the end of the week, spirits were high and the execs were pleased to hear everything was on schedule and within budget.

A couple of late nights shooting thrown in between early calls put Lily's sleeping off. She curled up for naps when she could, trying to even out her schedule again and make it through the scenes without yawning, during the hectic part of the week. Lily set an alarm on her phone when she could steal fifteen minutes in her trailer. When she was at the farm, she curled up in "Emma's room" when the crew wasn't around. While it may have been a quiet place to rest, it was also an easy target for Sebastian. 

He collected a few "#lazyLily" photos on his phone, snapping pics when he noticed her absence and found her hiding place. Sebastian posted them in a small batch to Instagram. When Lily found out, everyone knew. Sebastian and the rest of the people on set literally froze at hearing her angrily yell his name from the upstairs room of the farmhouse. He started snickering and promptly slipped outside to hide, begging Drew on the way out to say he hadn't seen him. When she finally caught up with him when the break was over, she actually threw a shoe at him from across the way. All he could do was apologize, as sincerely as anyone could while they were laughing, and tell her how many of the comments from fans were giving her sympathy. 

"See?" he said, reading from his phone. "Here, they say "Poor babe. I feel this". Someone calls you "Sleeping Beauty" with a bunch of hearts and the sleeping emoji. Uhh..."Poor thing. Protect her", "She's going to murder @imsebastianstan"- That last one I think is true."

"God damn right it is," Lily huffed.

"Murder him _after_ we get this into post," Jason told them, "that way it'll boost ticket sales for opening weekend."

Alex flew into town on Wednesday night. He was gearing up for some traveling of his own for work in the next couple of weeks. While he had a break before he started living out of suitcases again, he and Lily were going to spend time together and he would be on hand for O'Leary's birthday party Saturday night. Alex tagged along to the set with her on Thursday to hang out for a few hours. They had lunch with Sebastian in Lily's trailer, chatting about the movie and Alex's upcoming project and where in the world it would take him. After lunch, Drew took Alex downtown to meet with a couple friends before he would meet Lily back at her hotel for a late dinner.

When Lily got back to the suite, she was surprised to find a chef in the kitchen and a server assisting him. Alex met Lily at the bottom of the stairs of the salon, telling her he'd arranged for dinner on the rooftop terrace by the mediation pond. Staff had set up a table for two, with white linens, sparkling stemware, and a small trio of varying size hurricane candle holders to further warm the atmosphere with the gazebo's fire pit lit nearby. They talked over their meal, enjoying a bottle of wine and the soft breeze on the night air. The hotel staff left after dessert was served. Alone together, the conversation slowed and coffee was waiting on a tray beside the table for when they finished dessert.

Across from her, Alex softly cleared his throat, and it brought Lily's attention up from her dessert plate. "Lily, this is going to be awkward and-" Alex took a breath and let it fall out.

"Is this something that you should just spit out or do you need the running start?" she teased, thinking maybe a bit of levity might help him relax.

Alex chuckled, looking a bit relieved. "God, Lily, you really- You really are amazing, you know that?" Lily blushed, pressing her lips together to take off some of the shyness in her smile. "Which is why I'm probably gonna just absolutely fumble what I'm about to say." Lily straightened her face, curious and waiting for Alex to finally muster, "Lily, these last months have been great. I've had so much fun, and getting to know you and your friends- I know I'm a very lucky guy."

Lily didn't know where this little speech was going. In one way, she figured it was too early in their relationship to expect any grand gestures. But the nervousness he seemed to have and the way he was speaking made Lily's stomach flip with her own nerves. It was ridiculous, though. They were so comfortable about everything together. They weren't even the kind of clingy couple that needed to hear 'I love you' every day to be confident that the other cared. They were never this awkward or off balance before.

Alex looked down, brow high and with a faint, disbelieving smile, as he swept his head once. He set his gaze on hers, with a kind of hesitance in his expression, saying, "I didn't think I'd be this nervous...but Lily, I don't know where I see this going."

"Oh," Lily blinked, surprised and surprisingly relieved.

He sat a little straighter, putting up a hand to soften the blow. "I mean it, Lily. You _are_ amazing and I'm dumbfounded you even gave me a shot...but there's just something missing. I don't want to come off as insulting, because I love you. I do. It's just not that kind of love. ...I'd apologize for it, but I kind of think this isn't just me. Sometimes, you seem...a little distracted."

"I see," she quietly said, before softly clearing her throat. "That's fair," she sheepishly admitted, ready to say more before he went on.

"And that's okay," he added, sounding relieved that she hadn't tried to argue or anything else. "Sometimes, it just doesn't happen." Alex shrugged. "This is just one of those times, I think."

"It's nobody's fault," she agreed.

"It's just, we're not meant to be like this," Alex shook his head. "I'm not saying there's someone else. I'd never do that to you. You're an incredible woman and I'm lucky to know you. I am. But it's just not fair to string you along and wait for something that's just not there. You deserve better than that."

"We both do," Lily corrected, with a warm smile. His candor was refreshing in a way, and a bit sad in another. She sighed, with a sweep of her head. "I'm sorry for wasting your time."

"Wasting?" Alex chuckled. "Far from it. If that's what it was, then it was the best way to waste my time."

Lily tittered, caught of guard again. This time by his compliment while she was feeling rather small for the end of another failed romance. "Too kind."

"No, really," he insisted. "It's gonna sound like the worst line ever, but I hope we can still be friends. I'd really like to."

The idea and way he said it was so absolutely charming to her. "Absolutely," she smiled, the comfort between them starting to return. "It's not a bad line, coming from a guy like you."

"I mean, it's a small town, right?" Alex joked. "We're bound to run into each other; maybe work together again."

"I'm looking forward to it," Lily told him, and she meant it.

"I hope you're not mad," he still worried, "but I actually had this running around in the back of my mind for awhile. I waited to say something. If you were going to be upset, I didn't want to do this right before your big week and then..." Alex let out a helpless sigh, admitting, "I just didn't know how to say it. I didn't want it to be messy or hurt your feelings. I mean, be mad at me all you want, if you think I've lied to you or anything for not saying anything sooner. That'd be fair. But I don't want it to come off that way. I just didn't want to ruin your moment. People would talk and then it'd all get out of hand with paparazzi and shit. And then, with you starting this project, I- I just didn't want anything to spoil it all for you. And I wanted to be sure that you'd be okay. It seems like everyone's finally easing up on you; the paps, your team. And falling back into a routine for filming..." He shrugged. "It seemed like now was as good a time as any."

Lily smiled and shook her head, assuring him, "No. That's very considerate of you. I actually-" Lily paused, realizing, "I appreciate that, very much. Thank you."

"I don't think a girl has ever thanked me for breaking up with her," Alex quipped and Lily laughed.

"Well, different circumstances, I'm sure. Maybe the approach was off," she suggested and Alex nodded his humble agreement.

"And, even now," he considered, "I know the timing actually still sucks. Right after all this press, you coming up here and everything. If you want to keep up appearances, for awhile; maybe have our people work out an exit strategy or something. Whatever you want to do."

"Do you think we need to?" Lily wondered.

Alex shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted, with an awkward chuckle. "I mean, like I said, the timing. The way the press is, especially with you, they could go nuts over it. The rumors would fly, if we just stop everything tonight, even if we both issued statements. With everything being so hectic for you lately and starting a new film, could you put up with the scrutiny starting again?"

Lily let out a contemplative sigh. "Maybe a little planning or damage control couldn't hurt."

"It's an easy enough set up," Alex mused. "You coming to Vancouver. I'm headed out to Germany and Italy for a few weeks soon, before I go down to Pinewood. You'll be moving on to Portland soon. Busy schedules, lots of miles in between. It practically writes itself."

Lily mulled over the prospect for a moment. "God, I never thought I'd play this game," Lily muttered.

"It's fucking ridiculous," Alex laughingly agreed, "isn't it?" He shook his head, as Lily gave in to a small giggle. "But I'd do it for you, if you think it would help."

"Yeah," she reluctantly decided. "I think it would."

Honestly, it would be the easiest on Lily. The gossip magazines were merciless with the rumor milling and needling her after news of any of her relationships ending, regardless of how long or short, happy or rocky they were. The truth was never good enough for the press. They always added their own touches. Even when the breakup was ugly, when hearts had actually been broken, the twisted facts and exaggerations seemed to give it all more attention than it should ever be worth. And Alex was right. She wasn't in the mood for more attention than she'd already gotten lately. Not that it was all bad press, but Lily was enjoying the relative calm in her life for the last few weeks or so. A slow dissolve with a reasonable and practical explanation would be a refreshing change to sensationalized headlines about her former boyfriends cheating or using her. An amicable split, choreographed for the press would be a first for her, but then, an amicable split was really a first in itself.

"We should have a meeting with our publicists," Alex suggested. "Or at least conference them on a call soon."

"Yeah," Lily nodded.

"So, I guess, if we're putting on this little play, you'll still be my 'plus one' for the MPTF event next week?" Alex chuckled. "Or is that too much?"

"Not that you'd have any trouble finding a replacement," she winked. Lily reached across the table to put her hand over his. "I'd be happy to go, if you still want me to."

"Really?" he smiles.

"Of course" Lily shrugged, smiling. "You said so yourself, we have fun together. Besides, everyone is expecting us to show up as a couple."

"You're taking this like a champ," Alex noted, smoothing his thumb gently across her knuckles. "I was a little afraid this wouldn't go this well."

"That there'd be some ugly crying?" Lily suggested. "Maybe throw a drink in your face? Because if you're disappointed..."

"No!" he laughed, holding up his hands in surrender when she danced her fingers on the stem of her wine glass. "That's okay. I'm good, really. But thank you." Straightening up in his seat to lean a little closer and speak a little softer, Alex wondered, "I have to ask though, since this did go so well...is there someone else? It's okay, if there is. And you don't have to say," he added, quickly, "but-"

"You said I seemed distracted," she recalled, with a knowing nod. Lily shook her head, taking in a breath and smiling. "No," she promised. "I mean, there was a guy, awhile ago, who told me..."

She trailed off, the thought lost in another deep breath as she considered how to explain, but Alex picked it up for her. "You've got an admirer."

"Something like that," she tittered.

Alex nodded, thoughtfully, taking a drink. His brow pulled down, as his eyes followed his hand and glass back down to the table, and he hesitantly asked, "It's Sebastian, isn't it?"

Lily involuntarily froze, her breath caught in her chest and lips parted with nothing to say. She would have hoped to be able to play it off; to not be startled if someone had asked or made the suggestion before. After all, what good were all the accolades and awards if she couldn't "act" like she didn't have a secret. Lily blinked and swallowed, seeing in Alex's face that he already knew the answer.

He nodded again, his head tipping down as he pulled his napkin from his lap and wiped at his mouth. "I thought so."

A wave of embarrassment washed over her and she put up a hand, hurriedly telling him, "There was nev-"

"It's okay, Lil," Alex smiled, warmly, if not a bit defeated. "I already said it was, remember?" He snorted softly and shook his head, before adding, "He'd be a good guy for you. He obviously cares about you a lot. The way he talks about you, how he looks at you. I can tell you do, too."

There was a worried twist in her gut, when she tried to explain, "We've been friends for a long time. Of course we care about each other, but I-"

"Lil, you don't have to explain or justify anything to me," he stopped her. "I'm not judging or accusing or anything." Alex shrugged, touching his glass on the table and then letting it go. "I don't know that I really suspected anything, or even thought it. It's just, in hindsight, I can see it; the way you two are with each other. You smile a little brighter when he's around."

Lily hurt now, a little ashamed of herself and by the subtle wound she heard in his voice and saw in his averted expression. "Alex," she started and then paused, trying to find something to say that might comfort them both.

He looked up at her again, offering a kind smile. "I'm not complaining," Alex promised. "Guess, now that I know for sure, it's just a little bruised ego that I didn't get that out of you. But I always did like the smile you had for me. It was beautiful."

"I did try," she told him and he gave her a nod of understanding, turning his hand up for hers when she reached back out for it. "When you and I started dating, it was always just you and me. You know I love you, too. I never meant to disappoint you."

"You didn't," he assured her, his thumb soothingly moving over the back of her hand. "You and me, we're good like this."

"But it was worth a shot," Lily told him.

"It was," he happily agreed. When she smiled back, Alex's own smile broadened and he proudly pointed out, with a small gesture of his free hand, "There. It's that smile. That one is mine."

Lily blushed, finding a moment's relief and composure in a drink of her wine. "Thank you, Alex, for being so good to me," she offered, shyly.

"Don't thank me, Lil," he shook his head, with a polite grin, "like it was some kind of trouble or anything but a privilege to be with you. And now I get to look forward to our friendship." He pulled her hand up, leaning to meet her knuckles with his lips. "So," Alex began, pausing to push his dessert plate back to fold his arms on the edge of the table. "Is there still something there?" he asked. "With Sebastian, I mean."

She took in a deep breath and thought for a moment. "It's complicated," Lily decided.

"Is it really?" Alex gently pressed and Lily's titter expanded to a quiet laugh.

"To me it is," she nodded. "It shouldn't be though, should it?"

Alex shrugged, with a thoughtful pout. "It's debatable," he considered. He gestured between them. "Look at us. One minute one thing, the next another. Sometimes, everything just clicks. Sometimes, it's not so easy. Does it uncomplicate things without me in the way?"

"It's not that," she shook her head. "You weren't in the way." Lily's brow rose, realizing how that may have sounded. "I mean, you and me, we-"

"No," he grimaced. "No, I don't-"

"Because I-"

"Don't worry about it, babe," Alex chuckled. "I get it."

Lily meekly smiled at his understanding and how kind he still was to her. "It was complicated before you," Lily said, for some reason still needing to assure him she wasn't unfaithful, "but there wasn't ever anything going on. I guess, actually, even if there was no you and me, it'd probably still be complicated."

"Because he's dating that model in New York," he noted, as if he were reading her mind.

"That's part of it," Lily agreed, her brow rising, considering the facets of the last few months of her friendship with Sebastian.

"It's a tough spot, you're in," he sympathized, with a small frown. "I don't envy you." Alex shrugged, considering, "I almost wish I'd seen it sooner. Maybe things would've been different for everyone."

"It is what it is," Lily confidently accepted, with a sweep of her head. "Maybe we were just what we needed for then. And now, we get something else." She turned the corners of her contemplative frown up into a warm grin. "No sense wondering about the past, right? We're still friends and there's plenty of things to look forward to down this new road. I have no regrets."

"Honestly, Lily," Alex chuckled, picking up his glass to toast her. "Like a champ. You're incredible." He nodded to her, before a drink. "I'm glad you're letting me stick around."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](http://s1347.photobucket.com/user/scotirishgirl/media/IMG_4400_zpss2p2lxen.jpeg.html)   
> 


	59. Chapter 59

Alex still shared Lily's bed with her, although they had unofficially separated. It would keep up appearances and avoid any housekeeping or other hotel staff speculating by seeing Alex's things separated from Lily's or two people obviously not using one bed. It didn't matter to them. They'd joked about it enough getting ready for bed at the end of the night that it didn't seem weird or unusual to them. Their split wasn't complicated or hurtful. It was just a transition back to the friendship their relationship had started from. 

They had made an appointment of sorts to have a conference call with their publicists in the morning before Lily's call time. Their PR reps weren't unfamiliar with schemes between stars to sell an image or idea about a relationship. They assured them it wouldn't be hard to manage a split that painted them both in a positive light, especially since Lily and Alex had mostly settled the matter between themselves and actually were okay with everything. They tentatively mapped out a plan that would slowly leak whispers about the separation being a strain on them both not long after Alex started filming in Europe, and eventually make a pair of public statements to say the stars had parted ways under the friendliest of conditions and remain close, which wouldn't be a lie at all. It would be simple and it would be neat. The plan would stay between just the four of them, to prevent any leaks.

There were still appearances to be kept up in public, as well. Alex made a visit to the set with Lily, like he always had when he was in town. He spent most of his time there. When she was between takes, they chatted and laughed comfortably, as usual. He snapped some candid photos of her with King Louis for her to see on her breaks. When she'd step away for the next scene, he'd send her off with a little kiss or other sweet touch, as if nothing had changed. Knowing that it looked like there was more behind the gestures than there really was, did make Lily feel a bit awkward, at first. But it didn't take long for her to accept the new meaning behind the affections and find a kind of comfort in the different space she and Alex were in. 

The days had been blowing by as quickly as the schedule was. By Saturday night, the production had four more days of shooting in Vancouver, before moving on to Portland. By Saturday night, the cast and high end of the crew were ready to party, gathered on Lily's terrace again, this time for her costar's birthday. Lily had the outdoor area decorated with balloons, colorful linens on the candlelit tables dotted around, and wonderfully tacky birthday hats, gaudy glasses, and noise makers for the guests to play with. There was a banner strung across the gazebo's side wishing the guest of honor a "Happy 56th Birthday" and extra furniture brought in for the comfort of the guests, while a DJ played music and waiters circulated the crowd with drinks and food. 

Lily was a perfect hostess, floating in and out of the suite's salon and living areas and around between high top tables and groups of partiers, making sure everyone was having a good time. She pointed guests to a table outside where they could stack gifts and cards they'd brought and had managed to personally welcome most of the group as they arrived before she wandered away to the terrace with Alex. She was more than a little surprised to look across the meditation pond and see Sebastian join the party with a petite blonde at his side. When Alex noticed a moment later, he pointed Sebastian out to Lily and said they should go and say hello. Lily fixed on a smile and agreed.

She was at a loss for an explanation for the mix of anxiousness and displeasure Lily felt twist her gut, as she eagerly offered her hand and introduced herself. "Hi," she smiled. "I'm Lily." Turning her palm up to Alex, he was shaking Gabriella's hand as Lily introduced, "And this is Alex."

"Yes," the blonde nodded, grinning in reply. "Unmistakably. Liander, they call the two of you, right? I've seen your faces all over the magazines and tv this summer. I'm Gabriella. Oh, and congratulations on your star, Lily."

"Thank you," Lily accepted, hoping she came off as humble when, for the first time, she felt the urge to flaunt her success in front of a stranger. "Sebastian's told me such wonderful things about you. Congratulations on your new spokesmodel deal. And you're even more beautiful in person."

"Thanks," she nodded.

Gabriella's smile struck Lily as a little less humble than what Lily had shown at her praise. She ignored it, turning to smile at Sebastian and welcome him. "So glad you guys made it," she pleasantly told him, as if she weren't thrown that he hadn't mentioned his girlfriend coming to the party, let alone being in town. Lily gestured around the terrace, offering, "Eat. Drink. Have fun. I last saw the birthday boy over by the bar, I think."

"Great," Sebastian smiled, speaking for the first time since the group came together. With one hand on the small of Gabriella's back, he motioned toward the bar. "We should go say hello to Mike," he suggested. "And there's lots of people here to introduce you to." He nodded to Alex and Lily, saying, "We'll catch back up with you guys in a bit."

Sebastian guided Gabriella away with him and Alex slipped his arm around Lily's waist, pulling her to his side to suggest to her ear, "Was it me, or was that weird?"

Lily leaned into him, putting her arm around Alex and nodding. "That was weird," she agreed, watching Sebastian introducing his model to Michael. Lily turned up to look up at Alex, with a curious expression, wondering, "Was it me? Did I make that weird?"

"No," he confidently said, giving a firm sweep of his head. "No, that was all her. Seems a little smug, right? It's like it got colder while she was standing here."

"At least it's not just me," Lily said.

The guests had all arrived. Michael's wife and some of his friends had come in to town for the celebration. The party was in full swing. Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and Lily shared a boomerang video of Michael blowing out the candles on his large, two-tiered cake on her Instagram page. The weather was holding up beautifully for late September and the party's atmosphere was energetic. Lily figured everyone was glad Sunday was another day off. She didn't picture anyone leaving anytime soon.

Lily was cooling off, sipping a fruity cocktail at an empty high top table off to the side of the party. She and some of the other ladies had been dancing for a few songs and she had been fanning herself for a moment with a bar menu left on the table, when Sebastian came over. She put aside her makeshift fan and asked if he was enjoying the party.

"Does anyone ever _not_ enjoy one of your parties?" he quipped, setting his glass on the table. "Of course."

Lily smiled, dropping her head in a moment of shyness. "Thanks, Bas." She hummed a note, before casually noting, "I didn't know Gabriella was in town."

"Yeah," he smiled. "It's something, ain't it? She flew out yesterday to surprise me."

"That's sweet," Lily grinned, holding off the urge to roll her eyes at the cliché gesture. "How long's she in town for?"

"Just the weekend," he shrugged, glancing over his shoulder to see his model laughing with a couple of other partygoers. "She has to be home Tuesday morning for some stuff, so she's flying back Monday."

"Ah," Lily nodded, ahead of a sip of her drink and a brief lull between them.

"You look good, Lil," he spoke up, his eyes roaming around between her, the table, and the decorations nearby. "I don't think I noticed 'til just now. Something seems different." Lily tittered and he quickly put up a hand to explain, "Like, in a good way, of course. Not like, ya know, anything bad. I just mean- You look better, now that you're not in LA."

Lily reached out a hand to put on his arm and stop him. She shook her head, smiling her understanding. She had started to see it, too. Articles had stopped their snarky comments about her appearance, when they started using flattering fan and pap shots of her time in Vancouver, instead of shopped pics or ones from bad angles and timing. Lily certainly felt more rested, with the predictable routine of filming and having the shoot running so well, and she figured maybe it was beginning to show.

"I know what you meant," she assured him, with a knowing nod. "I guess I'm feeling better, lately."

"Good," Sebastian nodded once, with a warm smile, putting his hand over hers. "I'm glad. You deserve it, Benny."

"Thanks," she blushed, remembering her hand and taking it back to settle her fingertips around her glass. Lily inclined her head toward Gabriella, offering, "She seems nice. Guess she really did go through with that deal with Warren, huh?"

Sebastian let out an almost imperceptible sigh. "Yyyep," he confirmed. "Starts that in a few weeks."

"Hm," Lily thoughtfully pouted. "Still a sore subject?"

"Don't be like that, Lil," he groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Like what?" she frowned.

"Don't judge," he scolded her. "It's just a job. She's making a lot of money for it."

Lily held up both hands in surrender. "I didn't say anything," she reminded him.

"You don't have to," Sebastian grumbled. "I know you."

Lily smirked. "Innocent 'til proven guilty."

"That'll be on your tombstone," he decided, with a confident nod.

"Don't worry," she soothingly said, patting a hand on his. "I'm going to be buried upside down, so you, and everyone else, can kiss my ass."

"Always thinking of others, aren'tcha, Lilian?" he scowled.

"Don't be grumpy," Lily smiled, giving his hand a shake. "It was a joke. I didn't mean it. Smile!" She reached up to give his cheek a gentle pat. "It's a party, remember?"

With another heavy roll of his eyes, Sebastian finished off the last of his drink. "I'm not grumpy," he promised. "Just...be nice, okay?"

"I'm being nice," she insisted, smiling at Alex's approach.

Sebastian picked up his empty glass, as Alex sided up next to Lily and pecked a kiss to her cheek. "I need a refill," he pointed out, tipping his glass. "You guys need anything?"

"Mm, please," Lily piped up. "Champagne."

Sebastian nodded and pointed at Alex, who declined by holding up his own drink, saying, "No thanks. Just topped off."

"Don't say I didn't ask," he joked. "I'll be right back."

Sebastian left for the bar, leaving Alex to quietly ask, "D'you tell him?"

Lily shook her head. "Of course not."

Alex shrugged, taking a drink before setting his glass on the table. "I admit, I'm curious to know what he'd do?"

"Nothing," she said, gently elbowing his side. Alex snickered at the move, while Lily reminded him, "He brought his _girlfriend_ to the party."

"So?"

"So, you and me haven't officially broken up yet," she pointed out, making quotations in the air with her fingers. "Besides that we're not supposed to say anything, he has a very pretty girlfriend already, who happens to be at this party."

"Did you hear she's the new face for Warren Cosmetics?" Alex checked, taking another sip and putting his glass back down to pocket his hands.

"Yeah," she nodded, and finished the last of her drink. 

"The people who kill whales," he noted, his tone not without a judgmental rise and fall to it.

"Yeah, but they're paying her a shit ton of money," Lily sarcastically argued.

"Oh," he blinked. "Well, that makes it all better." Alex shook his head and laughed. "Are you shittin' me?"

"No," Lily unfortunately promised. She nudged his arm, quickly saying, "But don't say anything about it in front of Sebastian."

"What are you two laughing about?" Sebastian asked, walking to stand on the other side of Lily and handing her a flute of champagne.

"Nothing," Alex smiled, shaking his head. "I was telling Lil she needs to commit to stealing that horse in the next few days, before you guys head south."

Lily snickered and hugged Alex, a show of appreciation for his fast thinking. "Tick tock," she agreed.

"Are you going to do it?" Sebastian asked, ahead of a sip off his drink. "Because I gotta admit, it sounds like fun. Sign me up for the heist."

"Yes!" Lily held up a hand for Sebastian to high five.

Sebastian confidently declared, "Horse heist is on."

The trio shared a good laugh. From behind them, one of the producers touched Alex's shoulder of his attention. The laughter died down, as Alex took a couple steps away to speak with the man who'd produced one of his own films last year. Lily pulled back her smile to a pleasant grin, as she saw Gabriella coming over to her and Sebastian. It occurred to her that Gabriella had definitely mastered the "resting bitch face" stare models use on the runways. But when she spoke, Lily understood it wasn't just a look.

"Are you ready to go now?" Gabriella pointedly asked, with a forced grin, and seeming to purposefully avoid looking at Lily.

"Go?" Sebastian questioned. He checked his watch, noting, "Ella, it's barely 9:30."

But Gabriella impatiently cocked her head, saying, "It's been a long day, don't you think?"

"Come on," he smiled, hopefully, gesturing across the party. "They just cut the cake a little bit ago. The night’s just getting started."

"Then _I'm_ ready to go," Gabriella rephrased, with her gaze set sharply on Sebastian.

"Oh, no," Lily pouted. She couldn't reach Gabriella, but stretched out for her anyway, putting her free hand on Sebastian's arm to stop them both and plead, "It's early. You guys should stay."

Garbiella threw a disdainful look at Lily's gesture to her across the small round table and the hand on Sebastian's forearm. Without a second's worth of hesitation, and before anyone realized what was happening, Gabriella snatched the flute of champagne from the table and threw it in Lily's face, flinging the empty glass to the ground.

Lily took a step back, mouth agape and a gasp of surprise and insult escaping her loudly. She looked down at herself, the champagne dripping off her chin to her cleavage and seeping down the front of her dress. Her hands help up uselessly, everyone was looking. Alex was by her side in an instant, a protective arm around Lily's shoulders, as he swore at Gabriella.

"Are you fucking crazy?!" he glared. "What the hell's the matter with you?"

For her part, Gabriella had nothing but hate in her eyes, switching angrily between her native tongue and English. "Din jävla whore!" she seethed.

Sebastian put his arm across the front of Gabriella, holding her back from the table. He saw Lily's face fall from shock to mortification, while he scolded the petite blonde, "What are you doing?!"

She turned the daggers in her eyes on him, flailing an arm out to gesture at Lily. " _Me_?" she begged. "Her hands hAve been on you all night, and you've done nothing about it? All hours of the day and night, with you on the phone with-"

"That's enough," Drew interrupted, professionally polite, but his patience clearly already tested. Sebastian wasn't sure where Drew had even come from so fast, but he looked Sebastian in the eye. "Get her out of here."

"No," Gabriella insisted. "I. am. _not_ done."

Ignoring her, Drew took a step forward and Sebastian was suddenly aware of Ami in his blind spot, when he heard the bodyguard's hushed tone say something about hotel security. He looked over his shoulder and saw Ami putting his phone back into his suit jacket's inside pocket.

"You're done," Drew promised. He pointed a finger at Sebastian's face, warning him, "Get her out, before I do it."

When Gabriella tried to pull out of Sebastian's grasp, Ami reached in and grabbed her by the upper arm. Her shoulder rose at his pull, as he walked her backward and gave some harshly worded advice to her in a low tone that Sebastian couldn't hear amidst the music and scandalized whispers of the crowd around them. Drew pressed forward, putting a strong hand on Sebastian's arm to turn him away from Lily and escort him off the rooftop patio with his model.

Sebastian didn't want to go. He made an attempt to turn back around to say something to Lily; an apology, a word, anything to tell her he didn't mean for this to happen, but Drew pushed him on. Looking over his shoulder, before he was guided through the door back inside, he caught a glimpse of Lily. An embarrassed pink in her cheeks and her dress ruined, the glint of the light in her watery eyes was unmistakable. Alex took a towel offered from a waiter's arm, handing it to Lily to wipe her face and chest and seeming to say something comforting to her that she nodded to.

Back in the suite, Drew marched Sebastian toward the stairs to follow Ami and Gabriella down. Sebastian had to try, "Drew, man, I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"Not now," Drew firmly interrupted, with a tightness in his jaw that was a bit unsettling for Sebastian to see directed at him.

Ahead of them, Gabriella was still spitting curses. She twisted her arm out of Ami's grip, when they reached the front door, hatefully insisting he not touch her anymore. Ami had none of it and took hold of her arm again, opening the suite door with his free hand. Across the threshold of the doorway, Ami sent her away with a subtle shove and a leveled gaze that cautioned her against trying to come back in. He moved aside, waiting for Sebastian to exit.

"Drew," Sebastian implored, "wait just one-"

"Not. now," Drew repeated, and Sebastian knew he didn't stand a chance.

"Are you really going to apologize?!" Gabriela demanded, her eyes raking up and down Sebastian. "To try and get back to your precious Lily and insult me again?"

"Ella, please," Sebastian sighed.

"No," she frowned. "I come here, to see y-"

"Take it outside," Ami told her.

She turned her wrath on the bodyguards, her eyes flicking back and forth between the two suited men. "Don't you dare speak to me that way," she spat. "You have no idea who I am, you- hired dogs! You-"

"I don't give a fuck who you are," Drew dryly assured her, with a bored cock of his head. Sebastian saw the hotel security coming off the elevator down the hall and Drew promised Gabriella, "But you're gonna shut your mouth and leave, right now, or you're gonna find out real fast who the fuck I am." He looked pointedly at Sebastian, telling him, "Goodnight, Mr. Stan."

Sebastian nodded once, wary of what might come next if he couldn't get Gabriella to leave. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder, quietly telling her to come along. Ahead of them, the two members of the hotel staff stopped to let them pass. Sebastian heard Drew tell Ami to make sure they left and hotel security fell in behind them. He caught a glimpse of Drew, as they rounded the corner to the elevators. Lily's right hand man's face was hard, with his arms folded and flexed across his chest. There was a distinct disapproval in his expression, as he watched Sebastian leave the party, while Gabriella continued to complain as they walked.


	60. Chapter 60

"What the hell was that?" Sebastian demanded, settling back into the seat of the town car Gabriella had hired for the night.

Gabriella pulled a compact from her clutch and looked over her makeup, exhaling slowly through her nose as she composed herself. Sebastian threw a glance over his shoulder and out the rear window of the car, catching sight of Ami at the curb, watching them leave and speaking at his wrist, like he was giving some kind of report by radio to Drew. No doubt telling him the trouble was gone for the night. Sebastian stared at the side of Gabriella's face, waiting for a reply, while she smoothed on lip gloss with the tip of her little finger.

"Oh," he scoffed, his head sarcastically ticking back, " _now_ you've got nothing to say? ...Unbelievable."

"I think I made my point," she said, tucking away her mirror and gloss into her purse.

"And what exactly was your point?" he wondered. "That you're crazy? Christ, Ella. Those are my friends and cowor-"

" _I'm_ crazy?" she skeptically repeated, giving him an incredulous look. "Crazy to be in a relationship with a man who's flirting with his _coworker_ while I'm alone in New York, being a good girlfriend?"

"I'm not flirting with Lil," he grimaced, his head lolling away in disgust of the whole situation.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" she pressed. "All the little comments on Instagram and pictures of her you've been posting, the phone calls and texting. All the time you're together?"

"It's not flirting," he insisted. "It's just stuff for the movie. Behind the scenes stuff to keep people interested. We've been friends for years. We have to work together. That's all."

"Of course it's all," Gabriella said, raising her chin a little higher, "because you have a girlfriend and she has a boyfriend, right? And yet, you can't fucking help yourself. Always smiling at her, hanging on her, letting her touch you."

"Oh, for fuck's sake," he grumbled, turning his face to look out the window, resting his chin against his fist bent up from the door.

Gabriella sat forward, leaning a bit to see his face, as she told him, "You think I'm imagining things? That I made all this up?" She indignantly hummed, taking her phone out of her small purse and tapping away for a few seconds on the screen. She held the phone up in front of his face, daring him, "See?"

Sebastian dropped his arm from the door and begrudgingly took her phone. Gabriella had opened up a gossip site and typed his name into the search bar. Running down the screen was a list of articles using pap shots of him around LA and Vancouver with Lily and a few speculating about he and Lily having some kind of affair. A couple of the photos were from the night he and his costars had met to get background stills to dress the set, except that the photos they used were particular to show him walking out of the restaurant with Lily and conveniently cropped to not show the others. One rumor headline ran with a photo of him out to dinner at Lily's hotel with her little entourage, but focused to pull attention to the stars sitting across from each other and smiling. The most recent story used a series of shots from the bar set downtown, catching him within inches of Lily and her under his arm, before Drew gave her his jacket after the weather had turned, and misrepresenting their kiss for the film as some kind of captured stolen moment. There were other photos of cheek kisses hello or goodbye and a couple pap shots Sebastian hadn't seen of him and Lily leaving the pier in LA.

Sebastian groaned and rolled his eyes. It was all he could do. He saw it in the pictures, too. He didn't bother to read any of the pieces. The pictures did look pretty damning, especially to someone looking for it, like Gabriella. For as beautiful and popular as she was, he couldn't see where her insecurity came from. He handed her her phone back and shook his head, partly at himself because he wouldn't mind if the rumors were true.

"I can't believe you read that bullshit," he griped, hoping to send her off the topic.

"You don't love me?" Gabriella frowned, putting away her phone. "I'm not pretty enough for you?"

Sebastian sighed, putting a hand on her leg and giving her a reassuring squeeze. "Ella, no. You're great. You're beautiful. You know that." She was still sulking, in spite of his earnest tone. "You know better than to believe the shit they write in those magazines. Can we just- Let's just go back to the hotel and forget about all this, okay?"

There was a subtle knock on the bathroom door and Lily heard Alex's voice from the other side asking if he could come in. Lily told him the door was unlocked and went back to carefully redrawing on her eyeliner. She'd excused herself from the party to clean up. Lily washed her face and wiped herself off, changing into a new dress and putting on a fresh face of makeup, as quickly as she could.

Alex slid through the bathroom door sideways, shutting it behind him. He walked over to lean his hip against the vanity, with his hands casually in his pockets, and worried, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she smiled at his reflection in the mirror looking at hers. Lily capped her eyeliner and studied her work a moment, joking, "My boobs feel a little sticky, though. I think I missed a spot."

Alex snuffled a laugh and shook his head. "What the hell was she thinking?" 

"Beats the hell outta me," Lily scowled, picking out a lipstick from her makeup bag on the counter. Her brow wrinkled up in hurt confusion, saying, "I didn't even do anything! We barely spoke. And then she just-" Lily flipped her hand out in the air. "Out of nowhere."

"She's obviously insecure," he figured. 

"She's psychotic," Lily decided, smoothing on the color to her lips. She pressed her lips together and looked at Alex. "I mean, who does that to someone?"

"I don't know," he sighed, with a sweep of his head.

"And now, Michael's party is ruined," she complained, putting her makeup aside. "This is his birthday party and that's all anyone's going to be talking about for the rest of the night. Ugh! The _nerve_ of her."

Alex reached out a hand to her arm, pulling Lily to him. "I'm sorry, sweetie," he cooed, kissing the side of her hair and giving her a squeeze. "It'll be fine. They're gone. Let's just go back out there and try to have a good time." She nodded on his shoulder. "People came for a birthday party, so let's remind them whose night this is, okay?"

Lily straightened up, flashing Alex an appreciative smile. "I need a drink," she noted, "and some cake, and I'll be fine."

Alex put his hand at the small of her back to turn her towards the door and back out to their guests. "But not champagne," he winked.

"No," she emphatically agreed. "No more champagne tonight."

It was well after midnight, by the time the last guest was leaving. Lily had thrown herself into getting the birthday party back on track, and she seemed to have succeeded. Lily and Alex were as charming as ever, floating around the party and making sure everyone, especially the birthday boy, was fussed and fawned over and had had their fill of drinks and food. She casually danced around the few questions that came about what had happened with the "champagne incident", making little jokes that she didn't know, but she was certain it was a waste of perfectly good bubbly. 

When the door was shut behind the last guest and she was upstairs in her room, Lily let out a heavy sigh. She was tired. But when she saw her ruined dress hanging over the back of one of the chairs in the room, she frowned. Lily stared for a long moment at the stained dress, with her arms folded unhappily across herself.

"That bitch," she muttered.

"What was that?"

A little startled, Lily's attention snapped over her shoulder. She hadn't heard Alex come upstairs or notice him walking into the bedroom. Lily gave a distracted hum, dropped her hands, and made a turn for the dresser to start taking off her jewelry. Alex wandered over, undoing his watchband on the way to join her.

"Did you say something?" he checked again. "If you were talking to me, sorry, I missed it."

Lily shook her head, pinning on a thin smile. "No."

"Oh," he shrugged, laying down his watch and moving toward the closet. "Thought you did."

She didn't know why she repeated herself, but Lily admitted, "Actually, I said, that bitch." She waved a helpless hand toward her dress in the chair. "I just- ...I don't know why."

Alex stopped, one arm out of his shirt and the other midway from its sleeve, looking over at her. "You okay, Lil?"

"Yeah," she shook her head, before reaching up to take out her earring. "It's just...the nerve of her." 

"I know."

"This was Michael's _birthday_ party," she needlessly reminded him. "You know, we're out of town, his wife and friends come up here to see him, and this _whole_ thing was for him and she- she just waltzes in, upstaging everyone; ruining everything."

"She didn't ruin anything," Alex assured her, hanging up his shirt. "She caused a scene. Drew and Ami did their job and it was over as soon as it started." Lily watched him walk by in the mirror, on his way to the bathroom. "Everybody had a good time. Michael had a good time. It all worked out, in the end."

"And _Sebastian_ ," she shook her head, staring at her own reflection. "Bringing her here."

"That's not fair," he said from the other room. "She's his girlfriend. She's in town. Of course, he's going to bring her." The bathroom light snapped off and Alex came back in the room. "He didn't know she was gonna do that. Nobody did."

Lily was just tucking her necklace back into its velvet box, when she cocked her head, pointing out, "He didn't even apologize."

"Is that the problem?" Alex wondered, looking up from taking off his shoes where he sat on the edge of the bed.

"No," Lily grimaced, pushing away her jewelry boxes on the dressertop and going with a huff to the closet. "But _she_  should apologize. She should apologize to everyone." She fussed for a moment with the zipper at the back of her dress, her frustration with Gabriella getting the better of her. "Especially Michael."

"Hold still a minute," Alex gently told her, and she glanced over her shoulder at his hands brushing hers away. He helped her with her zipper and Lily mumbled her thanks, when his hands curved over her shoulders to give her a soothing squeeze, a little embarrassed she needed his help. "Don't let her ruin anymore of your night. She's not worth it."

As much as she knew he was right, Lily just couldn't let it go. "And my dress?" she griped, scowling at the outfit in the nearby chair. "You _know_ she's not even going to have the decency to pay for it to be cleaned."

"Fuck the dress," he told her, before going back to changing and letting Lily slip out of her own clothes. "I'll buy you a new one. You'll never have to see it, or her, again."

"I don't want a new dress," she frowned, kicking her dress away into the bottom of the closet with her bare foot. "I want an apology."

"I thought you said you didn't want one?" Alex reminded her, with a subtle furrow in his brow.

"I don't." Lily blinked and shook her head. "I mean, I don't want one from _him_. I want one from _her_." She was pointing away at no one and let her hand slap back into her side, before she grabbed a camisole from the closet shelf and tugged it overhead. "I should've slapped her," Lily viciously realized, remembering her strapless bra and yanking it off from under her shirt to toss into the closet with her dress. "That's what I should've done." Her expression softened and her gaze lost focus, as she shamefully noted, "But I didn't. I just stood there...like an idiot...in front of all my friends and peers." Alex gave her a sympathetic frown. "...I just stood there and took it. I'm gonna be a laughingstock."

Alex sighed, stepping away from the dresser and back to where Lily stood in the middle of the room. "Lil," he soothingly said, cupping her face in his hands, "you _didn't_ stand there like an idiot. You could have slapped her, yeah, but, instead, you kept your head up and you were a lady about it."

"I hate her," she seethed. 

"I know," he nodded. "But you went back to the party and took care of everyone else, with grace." He let his hands slip to wrap his arms around her shoulders. "That says more about you than slapping her would've done."

Lily hugged him back. "I'm sorry," she sighed.

"You don't have to apologize," he promised. "It's okay to be upset."

It was quiet for a long moment and Lily took a deep breath, not understanding why she felt like crying. Resting her cheek against his shoulder, Lily sniffled, fighting against the tremble in her lower lip and quietly complaining, "He didn't even apologize."

"I know." 

Lily would've paid money for a restful night's sleep. Instead, despite the comfort of Alex's arms around her, she had trouble falling asleep and slept lightly when she did. She was grateful she had nothing scheduled for her Sunday. Alex had suggested they go out for brunch and Lily agreed. It was a beautiful day and he'd said the fresh air might help perk her up.

They dined at an outdoor table, overlooking the harbour. Lily hid her puffy, tired eyes behind her Jackie Ohh's, but the sunshine on the water had most everyone else behind sunglasses, so she didn't stand out. Alex told stories and jokes to lift her spirits and they laughed together over their meal, and by the time the bill came, Lily was feeling better. The two stars signed a couple of quick autographs on their way out of the restaurant and back into the hotel.

Upstairs, Lily changed into a bathing suit and went out onto the patio to soak up some sun. Alex followed, reading under the cover of the gazebo, after helping Lily maneuver one of the loungers into the sunshine. She jokingly warned him not to let her fall asleep and get a sunburn on just one side of herself. Lily settled into her spot beside the meditation pond and tried to relax and enjoy the day. After awhile, Lily was feeling refreshed and sat up to say so. She insisted she shouldn't mope around and waste the last couple of days that Alex had in town. 

They changed clothes and headed out. Dressed casually under hats and low key behind sunglasses, Lily and Alex blended in with the touristy crowd in Chinatown. Drew and Ami were along for the walk among the shops. The stars went unnoticed for some time. They managed to spend a few anonymous hours out and about, stopping for a late lunch and wandering around the Chinese Garden, before heading back to the hotel. 

Settled into the corner of one of the couches in the first floor salon, with Alex and her bodyguards, looking for a movie to watch, Lily's cell phone buzzed on the coffee table. Leaning forward to take a peak at the caller ID, Lily called for a time out in the debate of the evening's entertainment. It was Lily's publicist calling. She hadn't heard from Mark since before filming started and, for him to be calling on a Sunday night, Lily figured whatever he had to say might be interesting. Lily scooped up her phone, excusing herself for a minute, while she stood and connected the call.

"Mark, hello," she smiled, walking over to take a seat at the dining room table.

"Hey, Lil," Mark replied. "How's Vancouver? How's the shoot going?"

There was a little sing-song quality to the questions and Lily's suspicions were raised. She hummed for a moment, before playfully inviting, "Why don't you tell me..."

"Did some super model really throw champagne on you the other night?" he checked.

Lily sighed, asking, "How'd you hear about that?"

"So, it's true?" Mark pressed.

"Yes," she groaned, rolling her eyes. "Last night, at a birthday party I was hosting for Michael O'Leary."

"I got a tip, Lil," he told her. "It's going to press in the morning. A couple of tabloids are fishing for a comment. Obviously, we're not giving them one, right now, but they're running with it after midnight."

"Oh, for fuck's sake." The complaint caught everyone's attention and Lily looked up to see the three men on the couches watching her, curiously. Lily's head dropped backward and she asked, "What are they running?"

"Sounds like something from maybe hotel staff," Mark suggested. "There's no names for sources. But the story will run that you and the Swiss Miss were having some kind of argument, she threw a drink in your face, and she and her boyfriend had to be physically removed by your security team. They said it was Sebastian Stan. Is he the boyfriend?" Lily hummed her affirmative answer and Mark went on, "Was it just your people, or was hotel security involved?"

"No," Lily sat up and shook her head, her face pinched in annoyance. "I mean, I don't think so."

"Did you do anything?"

"What?"

"You know," he led her on, "did you hit her, throw anything? Did you do anything?"

"No," she frowned. "I didn't. We were just talking. Me and Alex and Sebastian, we're just standing there and she comes up and says they should leave. I said something like, you should stay. The next thing I know that crazy bitch throws my drink in my face and is swearing, or something, calling me a whore and god knows what else. I didn't do anything."

"Good," Mark approved. "Nobody's saying you did, but I just want to be sure I know what happened. So, you didn't say anything to provoke her?"

"No," she practically whined. "Ask anyone. I was just trying to be nice and say they should stay. I didn't even invite her, but she showed up with Seb and I- Fuck. I don't know." Alex had come over, taking the seat in the chair next to Lily's to rub a comforting hand across the back of Lily's shoulders. "I knew somebody'd say something. But I didn't do anything," she promised. "It shouldn't be too big of a problem for you to handle."

"That's not actually the whole problem," Mark unhappily admitted.

"Now what?" Lily almost didn't want to even ask.

"They're marrying the story to some third rate gossip columns and blind items," he told her.

"About what?"

"I haven't been keeping a close eye, because everyone knows these sites are notoriously unreliable and nobody actually believes them," Mark explained, "but with the incident last night, they might gain a little bit of credibility this time. Is Alex there?"

"Yes," Lily nodded. Looking to Alex, she added, "He's right here."

"Good. Can you put me on speaker, so he can hear?"

Lily took the phone from her ear, telling Alex that Mark wanted to talk to them both, as she tapped the speaker button on her screen. Lily told her publicist he was on speakerphone and Alex said hello. Mark greeted him and Lily glanced over her shoulder when Drew caught her attention to say he and Ami would be next door.

"Guys," Mark began, "this is about to get pretty stupid pretty fast. There's been some blind items floating around the last month or so. I don't know if you've seen them, but basically anyone reading them could reasonably infer they were talking about Lily and Sebastian Stan, if they wanted to. I know," Mark promised, "you two have been friends for several years and it's never been a headline like this before, but people are getting creative with pap pics while you two have been working together. Now, the blind items have been _very_ vaguely written, so they were completely defensible and ignorable," he assured them, "but after this incident with Gabriella Holm, the reputable sites are running with it."

"What exactly are they running with?" Alex asked, sharing a wary look with Lily.

"Frankly, they're going to say that Lily and Gabriella have been feuding for weeks over Sebastian," Mark admitted, "and that it boiled over at the party. I heard from one of writer who's going to publish at midnight saying you and Sebastian have actually been having an affair since your Walk of Fame ceremony. Now, I know we don't usually respond to rumors like this about personal relationships, but I think this one is at that threshold where we do. I've heard from some colleagues of mine that Gabriella can be a PR nightmare, because she doesn't mind running her mouth when there's a camera in front of her. This one might not go away on its own. This time, I think we need to consider some damage control, if we're going to be able to save face for the two of you splitting up. Alex, I've already had a call with Joanne and her office and she agrees, we might want to consider a response to this one."

Lily and Alex shared a long look. Lily's stomach twisted, a little repulsed when Mark had to ask if there was any validity to the gossip about her and Sebastian. She had never been unfaithful in a relationship and it stabbed at old wounds left by people who had done it to her. Alex even seconded her answer, saying Lily hadn't been cheating and he never had a reason to think she would. That gave her a little bit of comfort.

"Guys, I know, " Mark agreed, "this is bullshit. But it's nothing new. I just have to cover all the bases, so we don't get blindsided. So, last chance- Is there anything either of you two have done or said, since you've been together, that's going to come up and bite us in the ass about this?" Lily and Alex each gave emphatic no's and the publicist went on. "Okay. Now that that's settled, we need to control your image. How's everything been going since we talked the other day?"

"Fine," Alex spoke up. "Everything's been great, except for this drink throwing thing."

"I saw a couple fan photos show up today of you two out somewhere, having brunch," Mark noted. "That's good. Some pics of you two hand in hand shopping, or something, this afternoon. Those all looked great. You guys looked natural and happy. That's what we needed to see today, after the party last night. That really helps us out. I don't want you to make it an obvious point to be seen in public looking like the happy couple, but maybe a night or two out together? That'd be good to show that you two are united and that those rumors are just that. Lil, you're back on set tomorrow and Alex, you're in town another two days, yes?" The stars agreed and Mark added, "Alex, it wouldn't be a bad idea if you had time to visit Lily at work again."

"I was already planning on it," Alex noted. "I have everyday when I've been around, even if it's just for a couple hours."

"He's always come to set when he's in town," Lily seconded.

"That's great," Mark approved. "That way it's not going to seem forced, or anything. I think we can take care of everything here in LA. Joanne and I are going to work on a couple statements we can use, depending on how this pans out. In the meantime, don't be surprised by more intrusive media than you've been seeing up there and, obviously, we'd recommend not making any comments. Joanne and I will be in touch if there's anything significant you need to know about and, please, if anything comes up on your end, let us know right away."


	61. Chapter 61

Lily couldn't stop herself. Off the phone with her publicist, she had to see for herself. She tried a few searches for blind items and tabloid articles about her and Sebastian. Although there wasn't as much as she expected, Lily was disgusted by what she saw. She read Alex highlights from an article she found that fabricated a story of her and Sebastian sneaking off for a secret rendezvous and using a picture taken of her kiss with Sebastian on set as proof. 

"Unbelievable!" Lily complained. 

"This is ridiculous," Alex shook his head, taking up Lily's phone to read for himself when she got up to go to the kitchen.

"And all because that little trollop had to-" Lily stopped, stumped for what to say. "Fuck. I don't even know  _what_  she was trying to do. But god damn it!"

"I mean, the shit some of these assholes are saying," he griped. "One is talking about you two out somewhere on a night I  _know_  you were with me in Santa Barbara. How do they sleep at night?"

Lily opened the refrigerator for a drink. "Welcome to my life," she dryly said, grabbing a bottle of water. "One train wreck after another. This might be a new record, since my last derailment." She mocked, "Oh, thank god she ate a sandwich and doesn't look like a skeleton, but now she's a home wrecker!" 

"They are merciless with you," Alex decided, handing her phone back, as she dropped back into her seat. "Can you imagine if we'd announced our split the other day, when it happened, and then all this?"

Taking a drink, Lily's eyes widened at the thought. She swallowed and shook her head, musing, "God, if we think it's bad now..."

"I'm a little afraid to read what these idiots plan on publishing in the morning," he admitted.

"You?" she scoffed, with a misplaced smirk. "What about me?" Lily shook her head. "You think I'd be used to it by now."

Like she always did when something about Lily blew up in the press, Jessica had a list of links to online stories waiting in an email for Lily in the morning. Lily stared at the unopened email on her phone, still under the covers in bed. The alarm had gone off, giving her an hour to get ready to head to the set. But ten minutes later, Lily hadn't budged.

"Lil," Alex gently said, coming back in to the room after a quick shower, "If you want breakfast before we go, you need to get up."

"I know," she nodded, distractedly, still eyeing her list of emails. There was a pair of messages waiting from her publicist she was wary of opening, as well. "I'm getting up."

"What are you reading?" he wondered, pulling open a dresser drawer to grab a t-shirt.

"Nothing...yet," she flatly answered, folding back the covers and setting her phone back down on the bedside table.

Alex stopped, arms stuck through his bunched up shirt, and gave her a curious look, before he realized, "Oh, you mean the tabloid stuff."

Lily nodded, wiggling her feet into her slippers. She scratched her fingernails on her scalp, as she stood up and told him, "Jessica sends me emails whenever something interesting happens. She weeds out the trashier, less credible stuff and sends me what the popular sites are reporting."

"Well, at least there's not as much to see as there could be," he figured, tugging down his shirt.

"It's still there," she muttered. "It's just not in my face. Just because they're garbage websites  _I_  don't see doesn't mean people aren't reading it."

"Are you going to read it?" he checked.

Sorting through the dresser drawers for clothes to wear after her shower, Lily shrugged. "I wanna say no, but I know I have to, sooner or later."

"You don't have to," he noted.

"If I don't read it, someone else will and tell me about it," she pointed out. "Either way, I'm curious as fuck, but-" Lily sighed. "Only thing it's good for is to know if I should be suing someone or trying to do damage control. Can't win."

"It's like a car crash on the highway," Alex reasoned. "Everybody slows down to look, even if we tell ourselves we won't. Everybody looks."

On the ride through downtown, Lily finally looked. Her curiosity and anxiety were getting the better of her. She worked her way through the links from top to bottom. They all followed the same plot. Maybe someone had a detail the other didn't, but reading just a few of the articles sensationalizing the events of Saturday night could paint an accurate picture for any reader. Her publicist was right, the info definitely came from one or more people at the party. It always did.

Once the stories grabbed everyone's attention with the drink throwing, they moved on to speculating about why the incident happened. Mark was right, there was one writer who just outright dove into the deep end, claiming Lily and Sebastian had been carrying on for weeks and that Lily had been cheating on Alex since her premier and Walk of Fame week. She was disgusted to read about Gabriella being portrayed as the poor victim in the situation, falling for Sebastian and being strung along while he had his cake and ate it too.

"Unbelievable," Lily complained, gesturing her hand up at her phone. "She throws a drink in my face and  _she's_  getting all the sympathy?"

Alex was doing his own reading on his phone and shook his head. "What the hell is wrong with these people?" he muttered. "How are they even picking her side? She's a self-absorbed, do nothing nobody compared to you. I don't think I've ever heard of her doing an ounce of charity work and she's the spokesmodel for a company that kills whales on the side. Honestly, what the fuck?"

At a complete loss, Lily locked her phone, dropping it in her lap, and threw her hands up to fall in frustration. She had read the emails from her publicist. She read aloud the possible statements he and Alex's publicist had prepared, in anticipation of the stories breaking, and replied with her approval of them all. But it didn't quell the feeling of disgust in her stomach over the whole situation. Beside her, Alex's phone chimed.

"Hey," he spoke up, "Joanne just messaged. She wants to know if she should release a statement now, or do we want to wait." He looked up to her from his phone, suggesting, "Meeting it head on might be better than seeing how far out of hand it gets. The whole united front thing."

"Fuck it," Lily conceded, as if the matter were hopeless. "Why wait?"

Alex gave Joanne the go ahead and let Lily know that she would talk to Mark and release a statement on both their behalfs soon. In the meantime, the amount of paparazzi mixed in with the fans and curious onlookers at the side of the road as they pulled up to the office building they'd be shooting in was unmistakable. Lily was thankful for the dark tint of the windows and she growled as she dropped her phone in her purse and put on her sunglasses.

She braced herself, as the SUV came to a stop in front of the building entrance. Drew hopped out and opened the door for Lily. She casually fussed with her purse and putting it on her shoulder as an excuse to ignore the crowd at the barricades closing off the set a little while longer. The moment she appeared, people were calling her name for her to come over and yelling questions. As she was coming around the back of the SUV, Alex was waiting for her and she looked up and gave him a smile. They walked into the building together, hand in hand, and gave a quick wave to the people down the sidewalk, with Drew and Ami acting as a buffer between them and the crowd. Inside the lobby, Lily's face fell, instantly.

Her sunglasses stayed on, while they were escorted to the elevator to get to the office they'd scouted to use as Emma's attorney's office. The whole floor of the medium sized building had been taken over by the crew. The floor wasn't currently being rented, but the production had furnished and painted the areas they'd be using. Lily was relieved when she caught sight of Michael in the conference room they'd be shooting in. He gave her a wide smile and waved when he saw her through the glass wall of the hallway. She'd been worried about seeing him after the spectacle at his birthday party, hoping he wasn't harboring any resentment or anything for what happened. But Lily, oddly enough, found the most comfort in the fact that Sebastian wasn't part of the call sheet for the day. She wasn't sure whether or not she should apologize to Michael again, when she'd actually be face to face with him, but she knew she wouldn't know what to say to Sebastian.

Alex kept her company, while Lily sat for hair and makeup. She lazily flipped the pages of her script for the day, as her stylist combed and pinned her hair. The style girls were aware of what had happened over the weekend. How could they not be? They made little comments of support for Lily, shaking their heads at what "that bottle blonde bitch" had done. A couple remarks they made put a smirk into the corner of Lily's mouth and made Alex chuckle. At least she was among friends.

Waiting to be called on set, Lily and Alex sat in a pair of director's chairs in the open space room that the wardrobe and style departments had set up for their use. Alex's phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out to read, telling her, "Joanne says the response is up." He looked up from his phone. "You wanna read it?"

Lily shrugged, figuring  _why not_. She'd already ready the trash it was regarding. They might as well see it all. Alex tapped away at his screen for a moment, before finding the statement released on both their behalfs. It was professional, with an appropriate amount of disapproval woven into the tone to chide the gossip writers. It didn't outright address Lily and Alex's relationship status, but did counter the claims about Lily having an affair with Sebastian as "baseless" and reminding the readership that the two of them have been and remain friends. It noticeably did not address the incident with Gabriella. The idea was to post the response on Alex and Lily's professionally run web media pages and float it to more reliable magazines to run with the pictures of the two stars looking happy and in love from Sunday's outing and redirect everyone's attention back to them in a positive way.

Lily's own phone buzzed in a message from her publicist, just as Alex finished reading the statement out loud. Mark had sent Lily a link to the post on her website and gave her a couple instructions to avoid making public comment or giving any reactions to the press for a few days. In the meantime, their teams would begin subtly dropping reminders about the star's upcoming projects. They'd see how things looked tomorrow and reevaluate then. Lily passed the message on to Alex.

"Sounds like a good idea," he nodded. He put his phone away and looked to Lily, wondering, "You heard anything from Sebastian?"

'No," Lily shook her head.

"When's the next time you guys shoot together?" Alex checked.

"Not 'til Wednesday," she muttered.

Alex nodded and suggested, "Well, she's still in town, right? Maybe he's just waiting for her to leave to apologize, to save himself some trouble.'

"Maybe," Lily conceded.

"You want me to push my flight back on Wednesday," he offered, "so I can be here, on set, with you?"

Lily smiled, pressing her lips together, a bit shied by his thoughtfulness. "You don't have to do that."

"No," he insisted. "You're leaving Thursday morning. Why don't I just cancel my ticket for Wednesday and I'll fly home with you guys?" Lily gave it some thought, while Alex added, "Besides, I got nothing to do before the gala that I have to rush back to LA for. It's no big deal and it'll look good if we leave together."

Lily nodded, agreeing it couldn't hurt. Besides, she wouldn't mind having a friendly face around a little longer.

Tuesday passed without any word from Sebastian. Lily and Michael had stepped aside and had a quick chat about the incident at his birthday party. He wasn't upset or disappointed with Lily, like she'd been afraid. He was actually just as fatherly about the situation as his character would be, worrying how she was holding up and damning the press for the direction they were running with the story. His own people had dodged questions sent his way about how his party was "ruined", replying that Lily and Alex had been perfect hosts and he and his family and friends had a wonderful time "despite the actions of one attention seeker". It put smile on Lily's face and took a weight off her shoulders.

Lily and Alex's PR teams had worked their magic, managing to overpower the rumor mill articles online with the bigger and reputable sites using their clout to take over the top search results on the internet. Lily and Alex laid low, but didn't hide. They smiled and waved for fans when shooting wrapped on Monday. Tuesday afternoon, they were conspicuously inconspicuous at the hotel restaurant for lunch before heading to set. Late Wednesday morning, Lily arrived on set with Alex holding her hand, smiling as they chatted on their short walk inside the downtown office building.

Alex noticed Sebastian first. He was over by the craft services table, with a cup of coffee and talking to the assistant director. He hadn't noticed them arrive, but Alex quietly pointed him out to Lily. She took a quick look, just to be sure Gabriella wasn't around. Lily felt a sudden tug of anxiety in her gut and hurried off to the relative safety of the makeup chair in the other room. Drew and Ami stood off to the side of the room, giving Lily and Alex their space. While she waited for her makeup artist to come back from the restroom, Alex stood behind Lily, giving her shoulders a soothing rub.

"What am I supposed to say?" Lily wondered.

"Try not to worry," he quietly told her, frowning back in the mirror at the nervousness he saw in her eyes. "All you have to do is give them your scenes. Anything else that comes up isn't important. If he apologizes, that's great. If he doesn't..." He shrugged. "Maybe work's not the place to have the conversation anyway, right?"

"Yeah," she softly agreed, with a small nod. "Maybe."

A production assistant appeared, handing her a copy of the script for the day and letting her know how much time she had before her first scene. Lily nodded her thanks to the PA and Alex stepped aside, as Lily's markup artist, Veronica, came back.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Veronica grinned, kissing the air near Lily's cheek.

Lily puckered a kiss back her way, loosening up a little to give a smile to the older woman. "Good morning, V."

Veronica waved at Alex and went to her lighted table to get to work. "How are we this morning?" she asked, looking between the two celebrities.

"Living the dream," Lily sarcastically smiled.

Alex and Veronica snickered and V shook her head. "Well, everybody is just buzzing around here," she told them, lowering her voice for a bit of privacy. "We're taking bets on what you throw at Stan."

Lily gaped, a little mortified at the suggestion that she was out for revenge, as Alex spoke up. "You're kidding, right?"

"A little," Veronica winked. "But, no, everything's been weird here since he showed up."

"Tense," Lily noted, not so much as observation as a comment on how she was feeling.

"Exactly," Veronica nodded. "He's not too chatty." She twisted away from Lily, reaching for another sponge. "He has to know everyone knows." Veronica turned back to her work, adding, "At least he didn't bring that toothpick girlfriend of his around. I'd have slapped the highlights out of her hair for you."

"And this is why I love having V around," Lily said to Alex, chuckling, trying to make the sound more amused than uncomfortable.

Alex agreed, with a snorting nod. "First rule about Makeup Artist Fight Club..."

"You do not talk about Makeup Artist Fight Club," Veronica laughed. 

"She could take over Drew's job," Alex quipped, catching the imposing body guard shaking his head with an amused smile at the idea.

"Nah," Veronica shrugged. "Too old for that. But I know a bitch who needs a slap when I see one."


	62. Chapter 62

In her smart little business suit, and with her makeup and hair perfected, Lily gave herself one last look over in the mirror, while Alex coaxed her, "Just think about your next line. Be the pro you are and give Jason the scene he wants. That's all you have to do."

"Right," Lily agreed, nodding to herself in the reflection.

"If he wants to talk about it," he offered, taking the hand she reached out to him, as she turned to walk out of the room and head to the conference room set,  "talk about it. But don't stress out if you don't hear anything 'til after work."

"I know," she said, flashing a weak grin, when he squeezed her hand.

Drew and Ami fell in behind them. Lily couldn't help but notice the two body guards staying a bit closer on set the last couple of days of shooting than they had been before. She didn't mind either. She felt a little more at ease having them readily on hand. Not that she expected to need them to do their job or anything, but she took their presence as having more people in her corner. And lately, she could use the help for her confidence, in light of the media trouble stirring up again.

Coming to the doorway of the conference room, Alex gave Lily's hand a gentle tug to stop her before the door. "We'll be right here, watching," he reminded her, with a warm grin.

"Thanks," she smiled, popping up on her toes for her cheek to meet his reassuring peck.

Drew gave her a nod, as she let go of Alex and put on her most confident looking smile to enter the set. She was met by the welcoming arms of Michael, who kissed her cheek and complained about not having seen her yet that morning. She said hello to her director, who eagerly jumped into sharing his notes with her from Monday's filming.

In the corner of the room, Sebastian was talking to the actor who was playing Pete's attorney. He caught sight of Lily talking to Jason from the corner of his eye and watched, waiting to see if she'd look at him or come over to say hello. He nodded along, distractedly listening to his cast mate and sipping his coffee. By the time Jason raised his hand to beckon Sebastian over, Lily still hadn't looked at him. Her eyes were conveniently set on her script when he joined them.

"Alright you two," Jason began, "this is probably gonna feel like a long day." Lily bit her tongue to keep from saying it already did. "Today is going to be pretty charged. This is the end. Emma's had enough of Pete's shit. This is her last move for her; for them. He's missed every other wake up call. She's done." He turned to Sebastian, putting one hand on his shoulder and the other giving his chest a pat. "But not Pete. Pete's not at his rock bottom yet, but he's desperate to keep Emma. This is all her idea. He's not ready to let go, but, at this point, he doesn't know how to fix it. He's feeling lost without her. Inside, he's desperate, but his attorney's got him on a leash, trying to look out for his client's best interest. He's not gonna let Pete give in too much.”

Lily closed her script, folding her arms and turning her attention up to her director as he spoke to her again. "Lily, Emma is tough. She's put up with a lot. She's a fighter, but this is it for her. She's tired of the fighting and other bullshit from the drinking. She hears from her friends and family she deserves a lot from Pete. She doesn't need it, but part of her wants to see him squirm. She's got a lot of anger built up, after all this time. I don't want to waste energy with rehearsals. Okay?"

"Okay," Lily agreed. 

She never had trouble finding her motivation, but it was always nice to hear a director was on the same page with who Lily had seen a character to be. Jason began to speak to Sebastian again and Lily took the opportunity to turn out of the conversation. With Jessica out of town, one of the interns had stepped up to offer her assistance to Lily. She handed her script off to the girl and took the frozen Starbucks coffee she offered in trade. Tasting a sip through the straw, Lily saw Sebastian through her lashes, looking at her instead of at Jason. She was thankful when Michael appeared in front of her and blocked out Sebastian. She realized she was feeling a little resentful about the last time she saw Sebastian.

"Hey," Michael smiled and she grinned back. "Since I'm not going on with you guys to Portland, Leslie and I thought we might get you and Alex out to dinner tonight. Kind of a thank you for all the entertaining and basically being the production's social glue since we've been up here." He held up a hand, offering, "If you're free, of course. I know everyone's on a plane tomorrow."

"That sounds lovely," Lily nodded, with a kind smile, a little embarrassed for the attention. "We'd be happy to."

"Our treat," he beamed. "Any place you wanna go?"

"Oh," she tittered, with a wide eyed look at being caught off guard. "Where ever is fine."

"Leslie found this great place by the water, the other day," he suggested, holding out his upturned hand. "Can't for the life of me think of the name of the damned place, but they've got _great_  food."

Jason called everyone to their places, as Lily agreed, "Sounds perfect."

Michael put his hand behind her to lead her to her seat at the table with him, promising, "I'll call Leslie and have her get us a table for 8 and I'll let you know the name when she reminds me."

Lily laughed at his grumbled frustration at forgetting the restaurant's name, sitting when he pulled out her chair for her. "I'll let Alex know on the next break," she nodded.

The actress playing Emma's attorney was already on their side of the table. Lily gave her a warmly smiled "good morning" and settled herself into her seat. The actors were arranging themselves and their prop pens and paperwork. The intern stepped in, waiting for Lily to finish one more sip of her drink before taking it off her hands. Lily unbuttoned the jacket of her suit and smoothed the front of her outfit, while a few continuity photos were snapped and the crew was settling down.

Directly across the table from her, Sebastian watched Lily fuss with a piece of fuzz on the lapel of her jacket. A small grin flinched in the corner of his mouth when Lily giggled at the floaty scrap she'd dropped from her suit clinging itself to the arm of Michael's suit coat. Lily dusted it off of Michael's sleeve, as Jason checked the camera and sound equipment was ready for filming. Lily straightened her face and, for the first time since they'd been in the room together, looked at Sebastian. He couldn't quite read her expression or tell if he was seeing Lily or Emma across from him, but there was something accusing in her eyes that made him shift in his seat as Jason called "action".

Emma's lawyer spoke first, addressing Pete's. "I want to start by thanking you both for meeting with us," she smiled, pleasantly. "My client and I hope we can find a way to resolve this as quickly and painlessly as possible." She opened the padfolio in front of her, pulling out a pair of papers to pass to the other actors across the way. "As Mr. Ferguson and I discussed on the phone, this is our proposal for settling my client's claim to profits from the sale of Mr. Carver's book or any future re-printings or adaptations, including to film or television, and any advances and royalties of related published works created for these characters."

As Pete's attorney skimmed the paper in his hand, he shook his head. "45% of current and future profits and deals is-"

" _More_ than fair," she cut in, "considering the significant influence on the work that Mr. Carver has repeatedly, and _publicly_ , given to Ms. Laramie."

"It's Laramie again, already?" Sebastian asked, a little wounded.

Before Lily could speak, Pete's attorney had put a hand on Sebastian's arm to quiet him. "We're not going to argue that Ms. Laramie was an inspirational figure for Mr. Carver's book," he conceded, "but 45% of any profits in perpetuity is unreasonable. Ms. Laramie has her own respectable income and the estate she stands to inherit is far more substantial than any anticipated royalties from the sales of this book. My client is entitled to a comfortable lifestyle earned from his work. Frankly, she doesn't need 45%."

"This is about fairness and credit due," her attorney replied. "Mr. Carver has lauded Ms. Laramie as his muse for years."

"The book hasn't even been out for two years," he pointed out. "Let's not go exaggerating everything on that side of the table."

Her attorney smirked. "Two years or twenty," she swept her head, "Ms. Laramie is entitled to compensation for her role in Mr. Carver's success."

Lily broke her stare off Sebastian's, leaning to whisper to her lawyer. "I don't need 45%."

Her attorney made a small raise of her hand off the table to motion her to wait. "We may be willing to discuss the percentage," she suggested, "but you can't deny the claim my client has."

"I don't," Sebastian spoke up. "I know I wouldn't have had any of this without her."

His lawyer hushed him again, with another pat on his arm. "Maybe that's a conversation for you and I to have later," he offered his counterpart. "In the meantime, I'd like to discuss the division of property..."

The scene was cut and Jason came up from behind the camera to address his actors. Lily sat a little straighter in her chair, twisting her chin up and too the side, trying to stretch away the uncomfortableness she felt having Sebastian staring at her. She knew it was what the script called for, but it didn't make her feel any better. She called for her drink as a distraction, while Jason gave a couple of notes.

They reshot the scene a few times before moving on to the next one. The attorneys moved to the hallway, playing at having a discussion while Pete and Emma were left in the conference room. The three stars left at the table sat in an awkward silence as the scene started.

Sebastian spoke up, with a hopeful innocence in his brow, asking, "Uh, Mr. Laramie...would you mind if I spoke to Emma, alone, before they come back in?"

Michael looked to Lily for permission and she nodded. He stood up from the table, pausing to give her shoulder a loving squeeze before he left. Sebastian twisted, watching him leave the room and glancing at the lawyers in the hall. Lily laced her fingers together in her lap, waiting. On the other side of the glass wall, Michael spoke to the other actors, directing them away, like the script called for.

Sebastian turned back around to face Lily. "You look nice," he awkwardly said, with a hesitant grin, but Lily just rolled her eyes. Sebastian's hopeful face fell and he begged, "Are we really doing this, Em?"

"Doing what? The divorce?" she questioned, with an indignant crease in her brow. "Yes."

"Yeah, the divorce," he complained, giving her an offended frown. He waved a hand out at her, going on, "The house, the money. All of it."

"What did you expect?" she wondered, tilting her head at him.

"Not some blood thirsty lawyer going after my retirement," he scoffed. "Jesus, Em. _45%_?"

"I didn't come up with the number," she shook her head, turning her eyes down to watch her own absentminded thumbing up of the corner of the notepad in front of her. The move worked for her character, but it was an instinct for Lily, feeling self-conscious when she realized how easily Emma's attitude and anger had came to her just by looking at Sebastian.

"Well, you sure as shit aren't arguing about it either," he pointed out.

Lily glared at him. "I've already told her, I don't need 45%."

"But they're still arguing about it," Sebastian sarcastically reminded her, with a no-look gesture over his shoulder to the hallway. 

"Keep the royalties," she spat. "I had no idea that's what was holding all this up."

Sebastian stopped, easing back a few inches from his upright lean into the table. He blinked, his expression softening. "Holding all this up?" he repeated.

Lily crossed her arms. "Yes." She let out an aggravated sigh, challenging, "You think I want to do this with you? If I had my way, I'd have just left it all." She flipped an impatient hand toward the hall behind him. "I'm only here because everyone else thinks I deserve something out of this for putting up with your shit for this long. I didn't even hire her. She's Dad's attorney."

An insulted look came to Sebastian and his tone carried his hurt when he asked, "For putting up with me?" She didn't reply. Lily looked away, as Sebastian carefully pressed, "It wasn't all that bad...was it, Em?" There was nothing from Lily, but her jaw worked with the uneasiness she felt in her belly as the argument went on. "We had a good thing, Em, you and me," he told her, making a small motion back and forth between them. "You're here 'cause of what everyone _else_ thinks? That's all the trouble ever was between us. What other people thought."

"No," she firmly corrected. "We're here because you have a problem and you won't do anything to-"

"I've done things," he defensively started. "I've done everything you asked."

Lily shook her head. "It never took," she reminded him. "How many times did you fall off the wagon because having a drink was more important than our marriage?"

"Nothing's ever been more important than you and me," he insisted.

"Bullshit," she muttered, letting her gaze drift away again.

"No," he argued. "Not bullshit. Bullshit was you always hounding me about it. Bullshit was you being so damn critical of-"

" _Critical_?" she balked, dropping her arms to lean into the table. "I was _critical_?" She shook her head. "About the late nights, wondering when or if you'd come home? About the hangovers and the excuses I made for you? Yeah, no shit I was critical. Do you have any idea what being married to you took out of me?"

"I've apologized a hundred times for-"

"A thousand, actually," she scornfully corrected. "But it doesn't make it better. Nothing did.  _That's_ why we're here."

"Em, I tried," he promised, sincerity in his voice and expression. "I _am_ trying. It comes and goes. I'm trying to do better. I always try...for you."

"Then I'm obviously not what you need for motivation," she quietly decided.

"But I _do_ need you, Em," he pleaded. "I don't want to do this. I don't want to lose us." Lily shook her head, stubbornly, her eyes set down on the table in front of her. "Sweetheart, please," he gently said. "We don't have to do this. Just look at me, Lil, and let's-"

The lawyers hit their cue, opening the door to interrupt Sebastian, before Jason did. "Cut. ...Guys, that was great," he assured them, "but, Sebastian, you called her "Lil"."

A little startled, Sebastian questioned, "I did?"

"Yeah," Jason nodded. He pointed back out the door for the other actors to start again, saying, "Lets back it up to the start of Pete's "But I do need you, Em" and go from there. We've got five or six more lines to finish and then we'll run the whole thing through again."

Lily cleared her throat quietly, tucking an imaginary hair behind her ear as an excuse to move and settle her genuinely raised pulse from bickering with Sebastian. When the cameras were rolling again, Sebastian started over. This time he used the right name and they got through the last few lines of the scene. He didn't make the mistake the next times they ran through it. When Jason called the last take, he announced a short break. Lily was the first up out of her seat, feeling the urge to get out of the room as quickly as possible. She met Alex at the door, accepting his arm to curl hers around on the way to the next room and the craft services area, while Drew followed along. As they went, Drew passed on that Lily had missed a couple check in texts from Angela that he replied to, saying she was filming but would get back to her soon. Lily gave him her thanks.

"It's looking really good," Alex complimented.

"Thank you," she smiled, a bit shied and still a little wound up.

"How you holding up?" Alex wondered, passing her a napkin for the danish she picked up.

"Fine," she nodded, ahead of a bite. As she chewed, she admitted, "It feels weird. Does it look weird?"

"No," he assured her. "It's just the script, I think. It's supposed to be tense. But if you feel that way, use it. Just picture-"

"Hey guys."

Alex and Lily looked over to see Sebastian stopping at the table beside them. Alex said "good morning" for himself and Lily, as Sebastian helped himself to some fruit. With a small styrofoam bowl of berries and melon chunks, Sebastian looked up with a faint grin. He noticed the sweet in Lily's hand and joked, "Ah, man. Should'a gone danish."

"It's never too late," Alex quipped, gesturing down to the tray of pastries nearby.

"Better save the sugar rush for later," Sebastian decided. "It's gonna be a long day."

Drew appeared behind Lily's shoulder, quietly telling her she had a phone call and holding out her cell phone to her. Lily nodded her thanks, never more appreciative for a distraction. She excused herself away from the table, wandering off to an unoccupied corner of the room. She went back and forth for a couple of minutes, listening to Jessica's updates about the remodeling and asking questions when she had them.

On the far side of the room, Alex and Sebastian seemed to be making small talk with the AD. Drew waited nearby, ready to take charge of Lily's phone again when she was finished. Jessica was telling her about a problem with the marble order for the new kitchen countertops, but Lily was barely paying attention. She tuned back in when she caught her assistant saying something about another three weeks.

"What?" 

"That's how long it'll be before he can get a crew back out here to set the countertop when the new piece of marble arrives," Jessica told her. "Do you want me to tell him that's okay, or do you want me to find someone else to do the installation?" With an annoyed grumble, she added, "Assuming _that_ marble doesn't show up cracked..."

Lily shook her head. "We can wait," she decided. "It's not like I'm gonna be there anyway."

"I'll set up a new time and make arrangements to be back here for it," Jessica said. 

"Thanks, Jess," Lily sighed. "You're an angel."

"No problem," she assured her. "Also, don't forget there's a copy of you itinerary in you email and I sent everything to Drew, just in case. Alex is added to the flight and your plane leaves at 11:30."

"Thank you," she smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow."


	63. Chapter 63

Off the phone with her assistant, Lily passed by Drew. She noticed the discerning once over from her bodyguard and she took another bite of danish and opened her messages from Angela to avoid a conversation she felt coming about how she was. She finished her snack on her way back to Alex. Lily watched Sebastian wander off to answer Jason calling to him. She took a couple of minutes to reply to Angela and showed Alex a picture Angela had sent of her daughter in a ruffled pink swimsuit on a beach towel, shaded by a floppy hat and matching pink framed sunglasses. The cuteness of the picture helped her shrug off some of her irritation and awkwardness she'd carried with her after the last scene had been called. Lily gave Drew her phone again and grabbed a bottle of water.

"Everything okay?" Alex asked, as she twisted open her drink with what she had mistakenly thought was an imperceptible sigh.

"Yeah, just the marble for the kitchen showed up with a crack," she mentioned, in lieu of saying the thought of working the rest of the scenes for the day stirred up a twist of nervousness in her gut, "and by the time a new piece comes in, the contractor can't come back for three weeks to install it. So, there's that."

"Perfect," Alex chuckled and Lily gave in to a grin. 

"Considering all the work going on at the house," she mused, "if that's the worst thing that's happened..."

"Not like you'll be around to be bothered by it anyway," he offered.

Lily nodded. "Exactly." Everyone else was starting to drift back to the conference room set, and Lily figured, "Better head back in." Taking a sip off her water, Lily asked, "So, did he say anything to you?"

Alex shook his head. "No. He was still social, but nothing about you or the other night." He put his hand at the small of her back to guide her through the doorway ahead of him. "I don't think he'll say something with this many people around," he decided.

When the cast and crew broke for lunch, Lily and her small entourage moved to the empty office that had been set up as one of the private rooms for the film's stars and Lily was relieved to have the privacy. The space was furnished with a couple of chairs and couches to relax in and the group ate lunch together, when Ami returned with their order from a bistro down the street. To keep her focus, Lily asked Alex to stand in and play Pete to run a few lines with her for the afternoon's scenes.

The rest of the day played out on schedule and scenes got to film smoothly enough. Shooting wrapped for the day, just after 5. Michael and Lily had solidified plans for dinner later, before Lily and Alex headed back to the hotel. Lily disappeared to her bedroom to take a quick nap. She was feeling a little drained. Despite the demands of the emotional scenes they shot that afternoon, Lily felt exhausted after going out of her way to seem chipper and unaffected. A couple of television crews showed up after lunch to get footage of the filming from behind the scenes to air for the evening entertainment  and local news shows and, although there were no on camera interviews, Lily knew she would be scrutinized to see if she was upset, or anything else, by the circumstances and media circus going on around her off set.

There wasn't any interaction between her and Sebastian that wasn't related to business. In a way, there really couldn't be. The schedule was tight and there were always people around the small set. He appeared mindful of the extra cameras himself and seemed to keep a buffer between himself and Lily, interacting with other actors and crew between takes while she kept to her own conversations for scene notes and such. She also was aware of the cameras keeping track of her and Alex together, the lenses pointed their way whenever he stepped in to speak to her between takes. It'd been awhile since Lily so personally felt the claustrophobia of the fishbowl.

When her alarm went off, Lily clicked on the television to see what became of the media's footage from the set. While she poked around in the closet for something to wear, she listened to the hostess of one of the entertainment shows go on about another celebrity's brush with the law. She only really tuned in when the show advertised their stories coming up after the commercial break and she heard her project's name. As the commercials ran, Lily picked out some jewelry for her outfit and slipped into a white De La Renta silk mikado Watercolor Brushstroke dress. When the show returned, she stepped over to the TV to watch.

"Some emotional moments on the set of Words Fail," the hostess teased, before the show cut to the edited footage recorded on the movie set earlier in the day. "The romantic drama, starring Lily Benjamin and Sebastian Stan, wrapped up its last day of filming in Vancouver, British Columbia today, but not before the two stars heated things up, with tempers flaring for their emotional scenes today. The production is moving next week to Portland. 

"The film is still months away from hitting theaters, but it's already got _every_ one talking about the actors on and off set. Just last weekend, America's Sweetheart Lily Benjamin and costar Sebastian Stan's girlfriend, Swedish supermodel Gabriella Holmes," the hostess went on, as side by side smiling headshots of Lily and Gabriella appeared on screen, "made headlines when the blonde beauty reportedly threw a drink in the leading lady's face at a party Lily was hosting at her Vancouver hotel for costar Michael O'Leary's 56th birthday. Rumors have been swirling about the two feuding over Lily's off screen relationship with her costar."

They cut to a clip of Lily and Alex walking a red carpet arm in arm. "Lily, of course, has most recently been dating stuntman turned action film star Alexander Mattis. The two have been seen out and about, enjoying the Vancouver sights, on Lily's days off," the hostess pointed out, while stills of the couple walking around Chinatown came and went, "while Alex is in town before he heads off to start production on his latest film, an as yet untitled sequel to his 2014 blockbuster, Razor's Edge. Our cameras were there to catch Alex visiting the set and keeping Lily company in between scenes." The TV cut to a clip of Lily laughing with Alex during a break earlier in the day. "Reps for the power couple deny rumors that Lily and Sebastian have been involved in an affair since their appearance together at Lily's Walk of Fame dedication ceremony, where Sebastian gave a touching speech honoring his longtime friend, and photos of Benjamin and Mattis, known more affectionately to fans as Liander, show the happy couple still very much in love.

"Romance or no, the fiery chemistry between Lily and Sebastian, is sure to make this an incredible movie for critics and fans alike. Words Fail is expected in theaters this spring." 

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Lily griped, muting the television and tossing the remote away on the bed.

"Now what?" Alex asked, wandering in from the hall.

Lily flipped her hand out at the television and Alex looked. "They're supposed to be talking about the movie," she complained, "and they're still bringing up that bitch throwing a drink in my face and me and Seb having an affair. It's never gonna end."

"It'll end," he assured her. "Give 'em a minute. People get bored fast. Somebody else will do something stupid and they'll forget about all of us."

"Can't happen soon enough," Lily grumbled, grabbing her earrings off the dresser to take into the bathroom with her.

"You're tellin' me," Alex tiredly agreed, from the other room.

Lily put her earrings on, wondering out loud, "Is it too much to ask for somebody else famous to fuck up? We're not the only people in Hollywood they can pick on. There's hundreds to choose from. Why us?"

She snorted to herself, hearing Alex laugh in the bedroom and joke, "Because they love you more than the rest of us. Aren't you lucky?"

"So lucky!" she sarcastically agreed, rolling her eyes.

Dinner with the O'Leary's was a delicious end to the Vancouver portion of filming. Lily was sorry the time with Michael was up. He was a good actor and she'd enjoyed getting to work with him and know him better. They made a pact to get together after production shut down and Lily could catch her breath again in LA. 

At the end of their meal, the group were face to face with the paparazzi that had caught on to where the stars were having dinner. When they went to leave the restaurant, it was a short walk to Ami at the waiting SUV and Drew and a couple of helpful valets did a decent enough job of keeping photographers at bay. But Lily and Alex could still hear every question shouted their way.

"Have you spoken to Gabriella?"  
"Lily, about the affair-"  
"What about Sebastian Stan?"  
"Are you still friends?"  
"Alex, how has Lily's affair affected your relationship with her?"

Lily could feel the muscles of Alex's arm around her waist tightening and his hand clenching to a fist, as they both tried to ignore the press and walk quickly. She put her hand over his on her hip and he twisted his fingers with hers, before pulling back to guide her into the car ahead of him.

"How's the scandal affecting-"

Drew slammed the door shut after Alex was inside and pushed back a pair of photographers enough that he could slide in the passenger seat upfront, telling Ami to go before he even finished shutting his own door.

"Jesus fucking- Ugh!" Lily growled, straining her hands in front of her face.

Alex looked over his shoulder, out the back of the SUV, glaring at the camcorder lights and flashes till popping as they pulled into traffic. "Assholes," he muttered, through grit teeth. 

"We'll use the side entrance to the hotel," Drew told his wards, clicking his seatbelt on and checking the mirror to see if they were being followed.

"This was supposed to get better," Lily complained.

"It will," Alex promised, the frustration evident in his own voice, as he put his hand over Lily's.

Back at the hotel, Lily was changed out of her dress and finishing packing her things before the flight home in the morning. Alex had called down to Room Service, arranging breakfast for them all before they would have to head to the airport. She walked back and forth, occasionally gathering and folding her things, while she had Angela on speakerphone. Angela had been keeping up with all the gossip in LA and was making another call to check in on Lily. Some of the video from after dinner was already online. Lily promised she was holding up just fine, with Alex's help, despite her complaining about the barrage of insulting questions that followed them out from dinner. But when she was off the phone, Lily decided she'd had enough, vowing to unplug for the rest of the night. She didn't turn on the TV and set her phone to Do Not Disturb, dropping it in the drawer of the nightstand. The rest of the world would have to wait until morning.

Her plan was working. She sipped champagne the hotel had sent up as a thank you gift for staying with them, as she set out the jewelry she'd wear on the trip home and packed away the rest. Alex didn't have as much to do. He was finished long before Lily and had been shooed away from helping. Doing it all herself helped her work off some of her frustration for how the night had ended. Alex didn't argue. He sat back on the bed, scrolling through his phone and working on his own glass of champagne.

Lily looked up from her things on the dresser when Drew knocked on and leaned against the open doorframe. "Yeah?" she asked, flashing a quick grin.

Drew cocked his head, wondering, "You got your phone?"

"I'm willfully ignoring it," she proudly told him, turning to tuck her jewelry case into her luggage. 

"Would you mind checking it?" he asked.

Lily straightened up and frowned. "Why?"

Slipping his hands into his pockets, Drew sighed, his eyes tiredly lolling over to her, saying, "Because Stan is on my phone looking for you."

"What?" she flatly balked.

"Yeah," Drew nodded. He reached into the inside pocket of his unbuttoned suit jacket, pulling out his cell phone to hold up as it currently buzzed in a new text message. "Third message," he announced, glancing down at the screen. While his thumb moved around the screen, Drew explained, "I told him I'd tell you, but made no guarantee."

"What'd he say?" she asked, watching Drew typing.

"First, he asked if you were here at the hotel or out," Drew explained. "Then, if I'd tell you he called." He looked up, putting away his phone. "I told him I would and this last text was a thank you."

"Sorry, D." Lily said, folding her arms.

"That's okay," he assured her, with a small grin. "It's no trouble." He straightened up and help up his open hands. "My work here is done. You guys have a good night."

Lily and Alex both thanked Drew and wished him a goodnight. When he was gone, Lily looked over her shoulder at the drawer hiding her phone. Alex looked between her and the nightstand.

"You should see what he wants," he gently urged her. When she didn't budge, thinking of how uncomfortable she'd felt around Sebastian all day, Alex added, "Couldn't hurt."

Lily dropped her hands back to her sides and grabbed her drink on the way around the side of the bed. She opened the drawer and took out her phone, unlocking the screen to see the messages she'd missed. While she'd been ignoring her phone, she missed two calls from Sebastian, spaced far enough apart to not be too insistent. She tapped her text messages open to read the messages out loud.

Seb: You busy? [8:44 pm]

Seb: Are you out somewhere or just ignoring me? [9:07 pm]

Seb: Call me back please [9:15 pm]

Seb: Hello? [9:53 pm]

Seb: I sent a text to Drew. Did he tell you? [10:02 pm]

"Couldn't take five seconds when he saw me today to say one little apology..." Lily mumbled, with a small sweep of her head.

"It was a busy day," Alex offered. "And then the press showed up for half of it. Give him a break. Call him back," he suggested, waving a hand toward her phone.

Lily let out a breath. "What do I even say?"

"Let him talk," he shrugged. Alex took another drink and then pointed out, "Either way, he's probably seen you've read his messages."

"Shit," she muttered, dropping down onto the side of the bed and folding her leg underneath her, and touched the screen to reply.

Lily: Got your messages

Lily had struggled for a few moments to even come up with that weak message and she rolled her eyes at herself as soon as she hit send. She scooted back to prop herself up with the pillows at the headboard, sipping her drink and leaving her phone to lay in her lap. Beside her, Alex showed her some pictures a friend of his had sent him from his vacation in Italy to help pass the time.

Seb: No call back? That's okay

Lily stared at her phone in her hand, waiting to see what came of the ellipsis rolling at the bottom of the screen.

Seb: You're going home right? LA before Portland?

Lily scowled at her phone and read the message to Alex. "Small talk? Really?" she turned to him.

Alex shook his head, his face pinching in disapproval of her rushing to a conclusion. "Just see where he goes with it," he told her, patting his hand on her leg.

Lily: Yes. In the morning

Seb: Me too

Seb: New York 

Seb: I mean I'm going to New York 

Lily had slumped over to Alex's shoulder, tilting her phone with her as she leaned on him. Alex followed along as the messages came in. He shrugged, saying he didn't know, when Lily questioned if Sebastian was just going to bullshit all night or apologize.

Lily: Good. I'm sure Gabriella is excited

"Snarky," Alex quietly chided, giving the side of her leg a gentle flick of his finger for her misbehavior.

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to say to that?" she begged, flipping her hand up in the air. " _Have fun fucking your boney little girlfriend_?"

Alex dropped and shook his head, trying not to laugh. Beside him, Lily finally heard the mocking tone she had used and what she had said and snorted at herself. She shaded a hand to her brow and shook her head.

"What did I just say?" she laughed.

"That was hilarious," Alex chuckled, holding up a hand for her to high five. "Perfect."

"Uh-oh," Lily said, seeing a new message come in.

Seb: Guess I'll see you in Portland next week

"Told ya," Alex tutted, as Lily frowned at realizing she shouldn't have mentioned Sebastian's girlfriend like that and expect to get him talking about what happened with her. Alex took her phone from her, saying, "Here. Gimme that."

She didn't see what he typed until he had sent the message and handed her the phone back. 

Lily: Sorry. Long day and it's getting late. Early flight. Off to bed. Have a safe trip. We'll catch up next week

Lily shifted her gaze between Alex and her phone and back again. "Huh. That's not bad," she noted, with a small pout of approval. "How'd you-"

"I've texted with girls before, Lil," he assured her, with a sly smile. "You all use the same tricks."

"We do n-" Lily stopped, interrupted, this time, by Sebastian's reply.

Seb: You too. Safe trip. Goodnight Benny 

"Yeah, you do," Alex nodded, with a smirk. "Worked, didn't it?"

Lily rolled her eyes, giving him a playful shove in the arm, as he smugly sipped his champagne. "Smartass," she grumbled, trying not to smile, but pleased he somehow seemed to have saved face for her with Sebastian.


	64. Chapter 64

Back home, in Los Angeles, Lily felt a weight lift off of her the instant her chauffeured car drove through the gates at her home in Beverly Glen. Jessica stepped outside to meet her, with a wide smile, telling her she'd be pleased with the renovation work that had gotten done. Drew and Ami unpacked Lily's luggage from the car and set it inside the foyer. Alex walked Lily inside, taking a quick tour with her and Jessica of the remodeled rooms, while the bodyguards stood by outside to take him home. When Alex left, Lily and Jessica took her things up to her room. They unpacked what she needed and left the rest for the next morning.

Lily settled in with her assistant, on the couch. Jessica ran down the notes about how the work on the house had gone while she was away. She had the next script Fox had sent her waiting for her to read whenever she was ready, and a message from Del Toro wanting to talk to her about a project he was working on. Lily's appointment with her stylist before the Saturday night event with Alex was confirmed for Friday afternoon and any mail that needed Lily's attention was sorted for her. Jessica went out to pick up dinner for Lily before going back to her apartment for the night.

In the quiet of her mansion, Lily nestled into the thick cushions of the couch and watched a movie while she ate her dinner. Lily went to bed early, planning on going to the gym in the morning and feeling a little travel weary. Jessica had stocked the fridge in her mostly remodeled kitchen with the essentials, before Lily's arrival, and Lily whipped up breakfast for herself. She finished a cup of coffee, while she waited for Drew to show up. He'd advised her about going anywhere without him, or one of his staff, until they figured out what the atmosphere would be like in LA with the press. She scrolled through her phone, frowning at realizing all of the same old headlines from Vancouver were still there. As predicted, the paparazzi found Lily at the gym, literally following her and Drew to Starbucks and only leaving when they realized Lily's black Maserati was pointed toward home and nothing else of interest to them. This group, however, was smaller and less intrusive than the flock in Vancouver had been. But just in case, Lily kept her head down and mouth shut.

Lily had been trying to ignoring her social media. Jessica and Angela were on hand while she met with her stylist. They convinced her to loosen up and have a bit of fun and post some selfies on Instagram as she tried on different gowns and see which dress got the most likes. Lily's fans hadn't seen much of her that she was in control of, lately. It was an innocent way to get back in touch. The first pic she posted asked fans be patient and to vote with their "likes" for the dress she would wear to the gala tomorrow. The ladies turned it into an event, snacking on the floor of Lily's dressing room, tagging the designers, and figuring out the best timing between posting pics. It was the most enjoyable fitting Lily had ever had. And when she started tagging her stylist, they all laughed at the bump in followers it gave her. 

They let the photos simmer for a couple of hours, checking in on the posts periodically. They noted her famous friends who gave a like or dropped a note to cast their vote and Lily gave a few charming replies to each. Lily and Angela shared a much needed laugh when Alex tagged Lily in a post about his own outfit for the event, posting a picture of a man in a powder blue tuxedo with his smiling face horribly photoshopped over the model's head and writing, "#dressedtoimpress Picked this out all by myself. @thelilyb is gonna have the best Looking date on the red carpet. #nostylistneeded". 

The gala fundraiser for the Motion Picture & Television Fund attracted celebrities with big names and deep pockets and arrived Saturday night. Lily and Alex were pleased to be invited and support the cause. The flashes seemed to pop a little more frequently, when Liander walked the red carpet and press line into the event. They posed separately and together, with Lily showing off her Balenciaga black silk and velvet guipere lace gown and Alex looking devastatingly handsome in a classic black Gucci tuxedo. Event coordinators had done a good job of coaxing the press to stay on topic for the event. There were only a few stray questions some smaller name media outlets tried to sneak in about the incident with Gabriella. Alex and Lily stepped away from those questions with polite smiles and apologies about having to get inside to the event.

Despite the small distractions in the press line, Lily and Alex had a delightful time at the fundraiser. They caught up with friends they hadn't seen in some time. Thankfully, most of them avoided the current hot topics about Lily and her love life and the ones who brought it up were supportive. Leaving the event, paparazzi had mixed in with the remaining legitimate press outside. Lily and Alex relied on Lily's tuxedoed bodyguards to shelter them from the barrage of camera flashes and shouted questions on their way to their waiting car. She didn't see who, put in the crowd of spectators at the edge of the event, Lily distinctly heard the word "whore", from two different voices and something about ruining Sebastian's life. It was worse than their last night in Vancouver. Lily and Alex didn't answer anything they heard, but one thing piqued Lily's curiosity over her anger.

In the car, Lily looked up to Drew's reflection in the rear view mirror as he drove, asking, "What were they talking about? Something about Gabriella's video."

"I don't know," he admitted, but he gave a quick nod of his head to Brandon to look it up.

When he found it, Brandon opened then shut his mouth, apparently thinking better of trying to describe it. Instead, he reached around to pass his phone back to Lily. Alex leaned over to see the screen when Lily hit play on a video posted to TMZ and shifted for him to see. The video showed a half dozen or so paparazzi walking down what appeared to be a New York City street with Gabriella. The model was behind a pair of Tiffany sunglasses with a purposefully mussed bun at the crown of her head and dressed casually chic in an off the shoulder tee over over a pair of distressed jean shorts that's inseam showed off damn near every inch of her perfect legs.

The video began with one of the videojournalists asking, "Gabby, what do you think about all the attention Lily Benjamin has been getting after your fight?"

"Good for her," she smiled, keeping her attention on where she was walking, as she sipped at a Starbucks iced coffee. "I think she could use the attention. She should thank me for getting her name back in the paper."

"Did you really throw a drink in h-"

"I did," she smugly nodded. "And I'd do it again. She knows why."

"Are you two still fighting?"

"Nobody's pulling hair or anything," Gabriella pointed out. "You need two people to fight. I said my piece and she's in hiding. Who do you see fighting about anything?"

"Where's Sebastian? Are you two still, together?"

"Of course, we are," she laughed. 

"Did you start the rumors about him and-"

"Why would I start a rumor?" she balked. "She's the one that hasn't had a story about her since she got that star, or whatever."

"What about them working together?"

"I'm confident in my relationship, if that's what you mean," she frowned, but only for a moment, before putting a smile back on. "I don't need to parade around with my boyfriend to prove anything, like some people do."

"Are you going to go see the movie when it comes out?"

"I will. Absolutely. I support everything my Sebby does," she proudly smiled. The group stopped when Gabriella pulled open a shop door to go inside. She gave them a small wave and blew the paparazzi a kiss, and the video ended.

Lily skimmed over the couple of paragraphs of text that accompanied the video online. She fumed, reading the writer's casual praising of the video "showing Holmes is as happy and confident as ever" as they "caught up with her on her way to meet up with friends in midtown Manhattan". Mercifully, they made no mention of Lily herself.

"Caught up with her my ass," Lily muttered. "I can't even get a cup of fuckin' coffee and she's out strutting around Manhatt-" Lily closed the browser and opened the phone, telling Brandon, in a huff, "I'm using your phone."

"Have at it," he nodded and Lily dialed her publicist.

"It's almost midnight," Drew noted.

"I don't give a shit," she hotly promised. Her jaw worked in frustration, as the line rang.

"Lil," Alex gently tried, "call in the mor-"

"Mark, it's me," Lily said, when her publicist answered the phone.

"Hey, Lil," he replied, tiredly. "Saw the video, huh?"

"Yeah, I saw the video," she spat. "I'm walking out of the god damn MPTF gala tonight having people ask me about it. When the hell was someone going to tell me?"

"Easy, Lil," he said. "We we're going to talk to you about it in the morning. You're the first thing in my reminders for the  morning."

"First thing in the morning doesn't do a damn thing for me today," she assured him. "At the fuckin' MPTF _gala_ , _Mark_. What the hell am I paying you for?"

"Lil..." Alex quietly tried to soothe beside her. 

She put up a finger to Alex, going on, "I shouldn't be blindsided by this shit like that."

"You want me try and have the video pulled down?" Mark offered. "I'm at a loss here, Lily. What do you want me to do tonight?"

"Fuck the video and fuck her," Lily railed. "How does this keep happening, Mark? Every time it turns our way, she's there, twisting it around and fueling the fucking fire again."

"We're trying to feed the right things to the right people," Mark assured her, "You're doing everything you should be doing. But I can't make the people stop paying attention to her when she's doing pap walks like that. They eat that shit up, Lil. You know that. Now, if you want to start pandering to the paps, we can do that too, but-"

"That's all you've got?" she scoffed. "Pap walks?"

"No," Mark sighed. "Just calm down, Lily. You're getting all worked u-"

"No shit," she scowled. 

"I warned you she was bad news," he reminded her. "It's only been a week. I-"

"Do you have any idea how long that _week_ has been for me?" Lily begged.

Mark sighed. "Lily, I know. I've got my whole staff on this. We're trying here, but you've got to trust us and be patient."

"I don't have any patience left, Mark," she firmly noted.

"I've heard from Vanity Fair," he offered. "They want to move up your shoot from December and try and get it to print this year. That was one of the things for the morning." Lily pursed her lips, listening and taking a deep breath to try and calm down, feeling the heat prick behind her eyes. "I've only got a couple dates we can squeeze it into for you, but they're willing to hustle, if you are. They've always been good to you and they've got some great ideas for what they want to do.

"Now, I've already heard from the editors," he explained, "and they're offering the standard cover story and two videos to accompany the article online. Annie would do the shoot, but they'd have to check the calendar to see who they can get to write it, depending on when we can put this together. It'd be fast, but they want to make it happen. It'd be a retrospective of your career, highlighting your 25th anniversary this year and getting the star. 

"There's a lot of love here from their staff," he assured her. "It'll get you a lot of good face time. This can't go wrong, Lil. They want to make you look as good as you deserve. This might be the biggest play we can make. If we can get it done, I've got an agreement to release some of the video to tease the issue before it prints and they'll announce the cover as soon as we can confirm the shoot."

Lily sighed, knowing, "I literally have no time. I'm in Portland on Wednesday and stuck there for five weeks. By the time I'm free, an with the holidays, they might as well stick to the December date."

"We can make it work," Mark assured her. "I've told them about the schedule. If we can get you on a plane and back in and out of LA in a day or overnight, they'll do it. I'm eyeing the 16th. You have a two day break then. If we put you on a plane that night and shoot the next day, we can have you back in less than 24 hours."

Lily's head dropped back to the headrest behind her and Alex asked what was wrong. "Vanity Fair wants to do a cover story on the 16th," she explained, turning away from the phone.

"So, do it," Alex encouraged.

"I'm in Portland," she noted. "It'll be rushed and I'd be-"

"On the cover of Vanity Fair _again_ ," he pointed out, "while she's doing pap walks for TMZ. Fuck her. Show her where real talent gets you." Lily was caught off guard by his encouragement and she blinked. Alex nodded, gently insisting, "Tell him you'll do it."

Lily swallowed and nodded, telling Mark, "I'll do it. The 16th."

"Excellent," Mark agreed. "I'll get in touch with them first thing in the morning. Let's do brunch. Bring Jessica, for the scheduling, and we'll go over everything then."

"Fine," she told him. "Tomorrow."

"11 o'clock," he said. "At The Ivy. Get some sleep, Lil, and don't worry. I'm working on it."

Lily hung up the phone, with a tired sigh. She handed the phone up to Brandon, with a muttered "thank you" he nodded at. Settling back into her seat, Lily told Drew, "I'm meeting Mark tomorrow at The Ivy at 11."

Drew nodded, assuring her, "I'll take care of it."

"Well..." Alex cleared his throat. "Now that you got that out of your system..."

"That's not funny," Lily frowned.

"I know," he conceded, reaching out to take her hand. "But still, feel better?" Alex wondered.

Lily shook her head. "Not yet."

Jessica had let herself in in the morning. While Lily was dressing for her Sunday brunch with her publicist, Jessica sat in the floor of the doorway between Lily's dressing room and bedroom, reading articles that published overnight about the gala. Much to Lily's surprise, the mentions she and Alex got were favorable. The fashion critics gushed over her gown and the event press kept on topic about the night. Liander made a few headlines on the trashier websites, but mostly for ignoring the paparazzi and not stopping for pictures. In an annoying, but not unexpected, twist, the tabloid writers attributed Lily and Alex's silence to building trouble in their relationship over Lily's alleged affair.

Lily was surprised to see a guest with Mark, when she arrived for their meeting at The Ivy. Mark introduced Elena, one of the senior editors at Vanity Fair, and explained he'd invited her along when they were on the phone earlier. He thought Lily might like to hear the magazine's plan for her issue. Lily took it to mean that Mark hoped it would calm her down and keep him off his ass.

Elena was charming and pleasant, promising, "We think this will benefit everyone. We've run into a problem for our November cover with our subject backing out pretty last minute. Originally, we wanted to start off the new year with you, but I think this helps us both out. We can still get an amazing cover story for ourselves and get you the positive exposure you need going in to awards season.

"Your cover story three years ago was one of our best selling issues," she reminded Lily. "We're expecting the same, if not better this time around. Print readership has been a struggle for years, you know, so we're obviously excited about what getting you back on the racks on our magazine is going to do. And for you, I can promise you, you're going to look _amazing_. 

"We've been talking about it this last week," Elena explained, "and what we want to do is a piece that celebrates you and your last 25 years in the business. Everyone knows you've been Hollywood's bread and butter for most of your life, and we want to show everyone why you run this town. I'm talking elegant black and whites, a detailed treatment of your rise and career, and real, honest, intimate conversation to let the fans _really_ see you. We're very excited about this. I think you'll be very pleased and I know we won't let you down."

Elena gave a hell of a pitch. She broke down how they'd do the shoot and interview in one day, like Mark promised, and be able to process it all to rush to print. It'd be a lot of work on the magazine's part, but they were in a bind as well and everyone had a lot to gain from the arrangement. Before brunch was ended, the deal was set with a handshake and Mark had assured Lily he was working on more.


	65. Chapter 65

Lily was half serious when she'd asked Angela how fast it took to develop ulcers. But Angela just laughed and slapped her on the ass to send her away to the airport, telling her everything was going to be fine. She had joined Lily for breakfast before she left town for the rest of the shoot. Angela wasn't too pleased for the way Lily had been fairing in the press lately or that Sebastian hadn't reached out and apologized for Gabriella, or anything else about the unfortunate situation, but she had smiled all morning for Lily's sake. Angela promised to hangout with Lily when she snuck back into town for her Vanity Fair appointment. She might even be able to sneak away for a weekend visit to Portland. Angela probably didn't know how much Lily hoped she could.

Listening to her iPod on her private plane, Lily vacantly stared out the window by her seat. She wasn't looking forward to the trip. She wasn't looking forward to anything about the film anymore. Instead, she was preoccupied with worrying thoughts about the production staying on schedule so nothing interfered with her magazine shoot. She thought about the articles Mark told her he had set up with writers to drop in some buzz generating blurbs about the movie to try and divert everyone's attention back to her work and away from her private life. On Tuesday, Vanity Fair had made an innocuous note about getting Lily for their November cover and it got Rolling Stone, W, Elle, and others to drop lines to her publicist's email looking for access to Lily as well. Aside from the usual celebrity pushing publications, Architectural Digest even wanted to feature Lily's remodeled home.

She was winning the publishing game to save face, but every move was part of the long game. It wasn't as instantly gratifying to the public, like Gabriella's pap walks were, who had no idea of the things Lily's team had in the works. Paparazzi were selling pics left and right of Sebastian and Gabriella from a night out with friends in New York, but Lily and Alex's lack of comments on the detestable rumors flying around only seemed to help vilify them for taking the high road.

Lily had one of the namesake suites at The Nines. The suite wasn't as opulent as the one she had in Vancouver, but downtown Portland was a different place. She still had plenty of room and a kitchen in the plush accommodations. The floor plan gave the room a little bit of a homey feel. She had additional rooms booked for her assistant and two bodyguards. The oversized suite was just for her this time. There were no immediate plans for Alex to make an appearance in Oregon. He had his own location shoot beginning soon. He had made the offer to Lily though, to call him if she needed him for anything.

The schedule didn't call for for Lily's first day on set until Friday and had given her a day to herself to settle in. Lily passed the time reading her script in the den. Her small entourage occupied their time largely together. Drew and Ami took a driving tour of the area around the hotel and the locations Lily would travel to for filming. While they got a feel for the lay of the land, Jessica was on hand to sample room service with Lily, before the body guards came back to go over details of the film's schedule with Jessica in the suite's living room. Lily had all but insisted the suite be used as a common area, when they had nowhere else to be. She explained it was a waste of space if she was the only one using it, but privately she knew she needed to hear the extra sounds of life in the place. It helped her unwind, having everyone at the table for dinner, talking about the next day's schedule and gathered in the living room, looking up things to do around town when Lily would have time off.

Friday morning had Lily on set and in makeup by 8 a.m. But more draining than that, it had her working exclusively with Sebastian. The script called Pete and Emma do be shopping for an apartment, and later a house, and had them traveling between a few different locations. They started out at the house the characters would be settling in for the movie. The scene would be gotten out of the way early so the crew could redress the set for use further into the schedule. Before the day really started, Lily was hanging around one of the propane heaters dotted around behind the cameras to take the chill and dampness out of the morning air in the quiet neighborhood. She had managed to miss Sebastian so far, but caught sight of him coming between the trucks and trailers with a paper cup of something steaming.

"Show time," Lily muttered, handing off her script to Jessica and pocketing her hands in the oversized cardigan she wore over her costume.

She silently smiled her "good morning" to him, as she and Sebastian met under the pop up tent set up over the monitors. "Morning, Lily," he said back. "Have a good trip?"

Lily nodded. "You?" she wondered. "How was New York?"

He nodded. "Always nice to have a few days at home," he noted, with a flash of a small grin. "D'you get all the wor-"

"Good morning!" Jason interrupted, coming up from behind. "How is everyone today? Have a nice week off?" Lily hummed, smiling her answer and Sebastian said it was great. "Excellent," the director smiled. Ready to jump back into it? Got a lot of work to do today."

"Ready to jump alright," Lily agreed, turning to walk around the table and find her taped mark on the sidewalk, her mood souring at the thought of Sebastian having a great week while she was still fumbling through the most recent attacks from the press.

Her subtle sarcasm apparently slipped by Jason. Or maybe Sebastian had misread the tone. Nobody else seemed affected, so Sebastian shrugged it off. After all, it was an early start to a long day. He reasoned she might just be a little grumpy in the morning. It didn't escape his notice that Alex wasn't around anywhere. Even if he just hadn't personally seen Alex, the ladies of the crew always talked about him in giddy whispers when he was around. Sebastian figured maybe Lily was just in a mood without him.

Lily gave up her sweater to Jessica and was getting her hair touched up when Sebastian caught up with her. He turned his chin up, at the request of the makeup artist, watching Lilian from the corner of his eye. She seemed distracted, chewing on her lip until the girl from Makeup called her on it. She left Sebastian, telling Lily she needed to reapply her lip color. Lily gave a sigh of an apology and Sebastian sipped at his coffee, until his sometimes assistant intern stepped in to take it for him. Sebastian didn't ever have much work for the girl to do, but she was sweet and always on top of things when he did use her. The stylists hurried to finish their work, while Jason called out some notes and started cueing everyone to their places. The actors set themselves and waited.

"D'you skip breakfast?" Sebastian quipped.

"What?" she frowned, a confused wrinkle in her brow.

"You were biting your lip there, like you-"

" _Rolling_."

"What?" she begged his pardon.

Sebastian shook his head. "Never mind," he muttered.

" _Action_."

There was a pause, while Sebastian waited for Lily's expression to dissolve and for her to deliver the first line. But after a few seconds, the line didn't come. Instead, Lily took a half-step back off her mark and waved a hand, giving a small shake of her head. She looked past the cameras for Jason.

"I'm sorry," she began. "Can I get- Just give me a minute."

"Still rolling," Jason nodded.

Lily walked a few feet away and Sebastian waited, tucking his hands into his pockets. While Lily took a deep breath, trying to clear her head of the sudden irritation she had with Sebastian, over nothing more than insignificant chit chat, Jessica came over to offer her a drink of water or anything else she needed. Lily shook out her hands and sent Jessica away with a quick word of thanks, turning back to reset herself and glancing at her toes to line up on her mark. Sebastian pulled his hands out of his pockets and Jason asked if she needed the line. Lily shook her head, and Jason invited, "Whenever you're ready."

"You okay?" Sebastian quietly wondered.

"Don't talk to me," Lily whispered, biting in the side of her lip before she inhaled deeply, relaxing her shoulders and expression. She ignored the confusion on Sebastian's face. A couple seconds later, she looked at the house in front of them and started the scene.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Think?" he repeated, a bit more incredulously than he probably needed to, but his was a little flustered by Lily's behavior. "What do I think? ...I think it looks exactly the same as it did last month."

Lily looked around, over her shoulder and down the street. "No," she whined. "You're supposed to say what you think about the neighborhood. They say you should see the place at different times of day, so you get the feel for the neighborhood."

"Who says that?" he questioned, looking a bit confused.

" _They_ do," she insisted, with a helpless gesture out of her hands. "Them. Realtors, I guess." She frowned, admitting, "I don't know."

"So we drove out here at the crack of dawn on a Saturday, just to see what the neighborhood is up to aaat..." He checked his watch. "7:38 in the morning?" Sebastian clarified. "It's kinda creepy, Em."

Lily paused a beat, turning to look at him. "Well, when you say it like that," she pouted, "you make it sound stupid."

"It _is_ stupid," he nodded. He spun around, holding his hands up to show, "It's 7:38 on a Saturday morning...in summer, Em. The squirrels aren't even awake yet."

"You're not doing it right," Lily complained. "This'll help us decide."

"Decide what?" he shrugged, pocketing his hands. "We're only thinking about two places. We've walked through them both twice, driven by two more times, and now this? Emma, sweetheart, I know you mean well, but you're gonna have to make a decision soon. Houses don't stay on the market forever."

"No," she agreed, "but we're gonna be there forever. Don't you want to _know_ that we picked the right house?"

"Well, yeah," he conceded. "But can't we just...flip a coin or somethin'?"

"I should've brought my mom," Lily grumbled, shaking her head and folding her arms.

Pointing at the house, he reminded her, "You liked this one better. When we first saw it, you were non-stop about it on the way back to the city. What's so hard about it, now?"

Lily huffed, her brow creasing as Emma would for being on the spot. "Well," she stalled. "Well, the other one has that spare room. This one only has the two extra bedrooms. When we have kids, where are we gonna put them, if you're using the other room for writing?"

"I'll finish off a spot in the basement, or something," he figured. "I don't know. Get a smaller desk and write in our room." Sebastian watched her, while Lily studied the front of the house. "Is that it?" He gave a looping point of his finger over the property. "It's plenty of room, has a garage, won't need too much paint and stuff. It's even got a little picket fence here. I mean, that's a little cliché, but I guess it's cute, if you say so. So, just say so." He shrugged, holding his hand out toward the house. "Is this the one you want?"

Biting at her thumb, in a moment of thought, Lily gave a nod. "Yeah," she decided, her eyes dancing around the house and yard. "This one."

" _Fi_ nally," he groaned. "Was that so hard?"

"Shut up," she rolled her eyes, watching Sebastian pull his phone from his pocket.

"I'll just call the realtor...and... Hey, wait." Lily frowned in worry, as Sebastian looked confused. "Where's the- What happened to the 'for sale' sign?"

Lily's gaze snapped to the lawn, looking everywhere. "Noo. No no no," she muttered. "It _sold_?"

"I told ya, they don't stay on the market forever," he sighed.

"Aw, come on," she cried. "It was still listed _last week_."

"Somebody probably paid cash for it," he shrugged.

"Noo," she complained.

"Em," he soothingly offered.

"It's not fair," she persisted. "This is our house."

"It is," he agreed.

"And some asshole's just gonna waltz in and-" Lily stopped with a defeated sigh, as Sebastian put a consoling arm around her shoulders.

"What a prick," he nodded. "But don't worry. There's still the other one."

Sulking, Lily swept her head, telling him, "I don't want the other one."

"Well," he exhaled, "I am glad to hear you say that." Sebastian reached in to his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, dangling them in front of Lily's face. "For a minute there, I thought you were gonna pick the other one." His eyes went wide in relief of the idea that, "Then I'd really have been screwed."

"What?" Lily questioned, looking disbelievingly between the keys and his smiling face.

He nodded, with an eager grin. "I'm the asshole. I bought it."

"You what?" she doubted. "How- I mean, can we-"

"We can afford it," he assured her, dropping the keys in her palm. "Well," he considered, with a tip of his head, "we can now, anyway. They gave me an advance on the book. That and a little help from the folks and," He put a hand up to stop her. "I know you didn't want to ask your parents for anything, but it's already done... It's ours." Still in shock, Lily threw her arms around his neck and he folded his arms around her waist to swing her around with him. "You happy, baby?" he wondered, still hugging her close.

"So happy," she promised, planting a big kiss on his cheek.

"Aaand cut!" Jason called, and Lily was out of Sebastian's arms faster than he'd ever seen. "Okay, let's go again, while we still have this light. I want to try and get two fast ones in here, before too much changes."

Lily angled herself to her first position, while Hair and Makeup came to fuss over her. Sebastian fell back into place, giving Lily a once over, as he asked, "Feeling better now that you got the first take out of the way?"

Eyeing the hand that came near her face with a light meter, for a place to rest her gaze anywhere but on his, she coolly reminded him, "What did I say?"

Sebastian blinked, his head ticking back as his brow wrinkled down in a mix of confusion and offense. He waited for the crew members to step away, before quietly asking, "I can't talk to- Are you _serious_?" She didn't answer and he knew she was. "The fuck, Lil?" he softly complained, leveling his eyes at her as Jason called the scene to life.

"What do you think?" she began the scene again, her expression changed the instant the director called "action".

The scene fumbled, as Sebastian missed the timing for his line, exhaling heavily. Lily quirked an impatient brow at him, as Jason questioned, "Sebastian?"

Sebastian held up a hand in apology, saying, "Yeah. No, I got it."

"We're still rolling," Jason noted.

Lily started again and, this time, Sebastian made his line. They got through two back to back runs of the scene, before Jason called for a break to see the takes on the monitor and reassess the look of the morning light and its usefulness for another take or two. Lily walked away, meeting Jessica halfway. Her assistant handed her a bottle of water and gave her notes on an email they'd received about her Vanity Fair article. Sebastian fumed for a moment, watching Lily nod along to Jessica, before he decided to walk over.

"Can I help you?"

"Are you fuckin' kidding me?" Sebastian flatly asked, running his eyes up and down Ami, who had stepped into his path. He brought his eyes back up to level with the bodyguard. "Are you seriously fucking kidding me right now?"

Ami folded his hands to hang in front of him, calmly advising, "Ms. Benjamin is unavailable."

"Ms. Benja-" He scoffed. "Since when is she Ms. Benjamin? I just want to talk to-"

"Ms. Benjamin," Ami spoke up, "is in the middle of a quick business meeting."

"She's talking to her assistant," he argued, waving a hand toward the women.

"Can I help you, Mr. Stan?" Drew asked, appearing beside Ami and mirroring his professional posture.

"You, too?" Sebastian balked. "I just- This is fuckin' ridiculous."

"I'll let her know you wanted to see her," Drew nodded, with a polite grin, "when she's available again."

"You can't be-" Sebastian stopped, looking between the two men in front of him to see Lily still talking to Jessica, with her back turned to him. He shifted his attention back to Drew, telling him, "Drew, man, listen. We've got to work together, all day, just her and me. And now she's telling me not to talk to her and you two are treating me like-"

As if on some unseen cue, Ami turned out of the conversation and moved back to stand near his ward, as Drew interrupted to remind Sebastian, in a quieter but nonetheless firm voice, "Let me remind you about a few things. You came to a party she was hosting at her home away from home. Your prima donna girlfriend comes along, unannounced, and throws a drink in her face, in front of her friends and peers." The bodyguard took a small step in, assuring their privacy and looking Sebastian in the eye, as he explained, "That story gets out and is all over every magazine and website in the English speaking world. Two people's PR teams are running damage control for it and, _some_ how, she's being treated like the bad guy. She can't even leave the house for a coffee without me anymore, because people chase her, shouting questions at her, wondering how much longer her boyfriend will keep her, while they're calling her _a whore_ , just like your girlfriend did.

"Doesn't matter how many people give a quote about what a good person she is or that she's never cheated on anyone," he swept his head. "It doesn't stop the hate mail and threats my company filters out for her. Fact is, she and Mr. Mattis are the only ones trying to fix this so she can get some privacy and, if she's lucky, a little bit of dignity back. Your girlfriend can't keep her mouth shut and _you_ haven't even opened yours. So, when I, or one of my guys, cut you off and tell you, Ms. Benjamin is unavailable, you should understand, perfectly, now why she isn't available."

He took a second to absorb what Drew had said, swallowing before he uncomfortably wondered, "Did she tell you to do this? D'she tell you to-"

Drew straightened up, moving back from the space in front of Sebastian. "She doesn't have to," he informed him.

Sebastian's gaze shifted to Lily, as he insisted, "Drew, I tried to call her the other night. You know that. But she didn't want to talk to me. She just messaged. And just now?" he gestured back to the movie cameras. "How are we supposed to-"

"You're an actor," Drew reminded him. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"We need to talk," Sebastian insisted.

"I'll let her know," he assured him, with a nod.

"Drew, I'm sorry," he offered.

But the body guard shook his head, with an indifferent purse of his lips. "I don't care," he told him.

"I'm asking for your help here," Sebastian pleaded. "Just take a walk and leave her alone for a minute so I can-"

"She's never been able to trust many people," Drew cut him off. "She never has to worry about that from me, or my staff. And that's not just because of the paycheck."

"I'm not trying to undermine your loyalty, or anything, here," he argued. "I just want to make things better. I didn't know she's been having all that trouble."

"Little piece of advice," Drew offered. "If you needed to know the trouble she's been having before you put in the effort to apologize, maybe you need to reevaluate your priorities."

Sebastian was left speechless, watching while Drew walked away and regrouped with Ami. He didn't have to look to know Ami was watching him like a hawk, as Drew spoke to his colleague quietly. He felt the weight of his stare, while Sebastian looked helplessly at Lily ignoring him. Sebastian muttered a profanity under his breath and headed back to the set, waving at his assistant to bring him his coffee. He decided, if Lily was going to be so cold, he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing how pissed off he was.


	66. Chapter 66

It wasn't just the morning air in Portland that was chilly. Before lunch, everyone one on set was starting to feel it. During the meal break, Jason even brought his two stars together to see what the trouble was. Lily had smiled her way through the short meeting, feigning innocence so convincingly that it had their director convinced and Sebastian's blood boiling. When Jason was satisfied there wasn't a problem, Sebastian was still with Lily outside her trailer.

"Real fuckin' cute, Lil," he said, with a jut of his chin. "You see what you started? Jesus, if you'd just-"

"Excuse me?" she blinked. "What _I_ started?"

"With your cold shoulder and attitude problem this morning," he insisted.

"Oh, yeah," she sarcastically nodded. "Yeah, I started all of this."

"That's not what I'm-" Sebastian let out an aggravated sigh. "This morning, Lilian," he reemphasized. "I'm talking about today." 

"At least you've finally got something to say," she scoffed.

Sebastian held up a finger, in warning. "That's not fair, Lil," he told her. "I tried to call you last week, before we left."

"Last week, before we left," she agreed, "and a week late. _Two_ weeks ago she did that to me," she flung her arm out away from her, referencing the past, "and not a peep from you?"

"How was I supposed to say anything with her right there?" he feebly tried to explain.

"With _her_ right there?" Lily balked. She jabbed her finger back at her chest. "What about _me_?"

"Lil," he pleaded, "what do you want me to say?" Sebastian's eyes searched hers, as she crossed her arms. "I'm sorry I didn't call sooner. I was just trying to avoid-"

Lily dropped her arms, angrily wondering, "Do you even _know_ what I've been through the last two weeks? And the first apology out of you is, _you_   _should've called sooner_?"

"No," he grimaced and then shook his head. "I mean, yes, I am sorry I didn't call sooner, but I couldn't, alright? What was I supposed to say? I tried that night, but your fuckin' storm troopers threw me out." Sebastian figured Drew would know he was talking to Lily, but he didn't expect him to appear from behind him. Sebastian threw up a hand in frustration. "Oh, great," he rolled his eyes. "Here we go again."

Drew gave him a quick side eye, before telling Lily the crew was ready for her back on set. She gave Drew a word of thanks and turned to go into her trailer for her drink she'd left inside with Jessica. Sebastian moved to follow, but the bodyguard put up a hand and gave a sweep of his head for him not to.

"I'm already talkin' to her," Sebastian protested.

"No, you're not," Drew disagreed. "You're arguing. And now you're done."

Lily reappeared, with Jessica in tow. She walked by the men, without a word, sipping on her bottle of iced tea from lunch. Ami followed down the trailer steps only a moment behind them, close enough to be of use, but far enough to be respectful. Sebastian turned his palm up, twisting at the waist to gesture at the group as they walked by, wondering to Drew, "Do I have to make a fuckin' appointment?"

"You can always try," Drew told him, buttoning the front of his suit jacket to go after the others.

"Unbelievable," Sebastian complained, flinging his hand up in the air.

Sebastian stared after them, for a long minute. How was he supposed to apologize if every time they talked they argued, and every time they argued it got worse? He groaned, exasperated, before starting his way over to the set again. He knew he should have called sooner. He wanted to, but Gabriella had been so insistent that he not. She argued he and Lily had embarrassed her by their oblivious and obvious flirting, making her look like a laughingstock in front of their friends when Sebastian spoke about Lily or "stalked" her on Instagram. She'd made him feel so guilty about it all, that he didn't dare risk reaching out to Lily until Gabriella was gone and things had cooled down with a little space between them when she'd gone back to New York ahead of him.

There was another 5 hours worth of work on the schedule for the day. And Sebastian couldn't figure out how to get through it with them at each other's throats. It grated on his nerves, seeing her smile at him in character for the happier scenes they filmed for the story. But he had to hand it to her, she was a good actress. She had everyone fooled, except him. When he had a minute to himself between takes, he'd go back and forth, unable to decide what pissed him off more- her behavior or the way Drew had seemingly turned on him. Sebastian thought he'd been such a help when he had messaged him to try and get in touch with Lily in Vancouver. Sebastian knew better than to try and talk to Lily again and, when the day wrapped, he left without even a look in her direction.

Back at her hotel, Lily was in the den reading the call sheet and her script for the next day, when Jessica knocked on her suite's door. Lily welcomed her in to the living room, motioning for her to sit, as Lily curled up into the corner of the couch. She had checked the time on her phone before she answered the door, assuring Jessica it wasn't too late to bother her and asking what she needed.

"I hate to say it," her assistant winced, "but, I was supposed to check and, if you were asleep, tell you Mark wanted to make sure you called him first thing in the morning."

"Sweet Jesus," Lily sighed, letting her head fall back to the cushion behind her. "What now?"

"Here," Jessica sheepishly told her, scooting down the couch and holding out her iPad for Lily to take.

The headline on TMZ read, _Trouble in Paradise?_ , centered and bannered above a picture testing the limits of a zoom lens and showing Lily and Sebastian outside her trailer from earlier in the day. No one was obviously close enough to have heard their discussion, but there were enough photos from a long lens camera to tell the story. It was very clear from the body language and gestures the pictures captured that the two celebrities were in an argument. They even had a couple shots of Drew warning off Sebastian and Lily ignoring him on her way back to set. A quick read of the short article attached to the picture gallery admitted the website didn't know what the arguing was about, but they pointed out that standing beside a rented trailer so far from the cameras proved it wasn't part of the script.

"God _damn_ it!" Lily yelled, throwing the iPad across the room and making Jessica flinch into her shoulders. "Who the fuck-?!"

"Lily, I'm sorry," Jessica offered, watching Lily stand up from the couch to pace across the room. "It's all over, everywhere."

"That son of a bitch," Lily seethed.

Both women turned to the door when it opened. "What the hell was that?" Drew asked, his eyes scanning the room for trouble.

"It's nothing," Jessica said, putting up her hands in assurance.

"Who's pissed at Steve Jobs?" he wondered, his unhappy tone undermining the levity of the question, letting the door shut behind him and walking over to pick up the cracked device from the floor in front of the television cabinet it had hit.

Lily glared at him and held up an angry finger that warned him not to be smart with her, and Jessica softly explained, "More bad press."

Drew let out a tired sigh, his shoulders falling a little as he gave Lily a piteous look. "You okay?" he asked.

"I am. fucking. _livid_ ," Lily growled.

"What happened?" Drew turned to Jessica.

"TMZ, Jared, Perez, everyone," Jessica frowned, "has pictures from the set of them arguing today. They're all calling it a "lover's quarrel" and-"

"Get Mark on the phone," Lily demanded, "right _now_."

Jessica took her phone out of her pocket, while Drew suggested to Lily, "Just take a deep breath before you talk to him, alright?"

Her assistant handed her the phone, telling her it was ringing. Lily put the phone to her ear and Drew sighed, handing the iPad back to Jessica who stood up to shorten his reach. He folded his arms, waiting to hear what was going to happen next, and Jessica perched herself on the arm of the couch, cradling her iPad on her lap and seeing if it still worked.

"Lily, I know," Mark promised, instead of saying "hello".

"Then what are you doing about it, Mark?" Lily begged.

"I can't do anything with it," he complained. "They're on a public sidewalk with a telephoto lens. I can't stop them from taking the pictures and I can't stop them from going to print if I don't know they exist."

"This is out of control," Lily railed.

"Lily," Mark sighed, "I know you're pissed. I knew you would be. But they got us today. The only spin I can put on this is to say it was rehearsal, but I think there's too many pics out there to sell it."

"This is not what I want to hear, Mark," she insisted.

"I've got nothing else for you," he admitted. "Some asshole made a shit ton of money and we lost today. And I'm very sorry about that."

"Sorry's not cutting it," she hotly assured him.

"We've got Vanity Fair in 6 days," he reminded her. "Less than a week and we're back on top of this, Lily."

Lily flipped her hand up in the air, begging, "And what am I supposed to do for another week? I can't live like this, Mark."

"Honestly, Lily," Mark began, "do whatever the hell you want. We've tried being nice. I've reached out to all the right people, we control your image in all the right ways, and this is still getting the better of us. You want to put out a statement and tear 'em a new one? Let's get it done now. If you want to answer any of the dozen interview requests I have in my emails, I'll set them up. Just say the word. But, if you want to stick to the high road, hold on for one more week for me."

Lily inhaled a deep breath, her jaw set tightly as she fumed. No matter how pissed off she was, she knew there was nothing her publicist could have done about the photos. The thought of keeping her mouth shut for a week or pandering to the tabloids was unappealing, either way she looked at it. But Lily decided, she wasn't going to stoop to Gabriella's level.

"One week," she told Mark, through grit teeth.

"One week," he assured her. "Just, anything you do, give me a heads up before it happens, okay? In the meantime? All I can say is, just try and be patient. Good things are coming. We're working on it, Lily."

Lily didn't bother saying a goodbye. She ended the call and handed the phone back to Jessica.

"Thank you for not throwing it," Jessica meekly smiled.

The comment caught Lily of guard and she did a double take of her assistant. Reaching a new point of exhaustion, Lily gave in to a weak snort, shaking her head as she covered her face with her hands and wiped them down over her cheeks, telling Jessica, "I'm sorry. I'll buy you a new tablet."

"Actually," Jessica hesitated, "that one was technically yours. It's from the office budget."

"Fuckin' hell," Lily rolled her eyes, dropping heavily to sit in the arm chair nearest her. "Perfect. That's what I get." Lily dropped her head into her turned up palms, raking her fingers back into her hair. "What the hell did I ever do to deserve this?"

"Nothing," Jessica earnestly promised her.

"What do you want to do about Stan tomorrow?" Drew spoke up.

Lily shook her head in her hands. "God," she complained, "I can't even think about it without it making me sick."

Lily let her hands fall into her lap and slumped back into her chair, as Jessica handed Drew an envelope and gave one to Lily. "Here's the mail from today," she noted.

Drew nodded, telling Lily, "We'll do better about moving you on set. I'm gonna have someone come up so we can have an eye on the press. We won't let this happen again."

"You didn't let this happen," she conceded, thumbing open the end of the manila envelope from her assistant. "Those fuckin' snakes..." 

"And you got an email from Fox about the last script...?" Jessica led her on.

"I'm not done with it," Lily shook her head, sliding the pile of letters and cards out onto her lap to go through.

"You need anything else?" Drew checked.

Lily looked up with a tired smile. "No. Thanks." She glanced at the envelope tucked under his arm. "How come he gets more mail than me?" she jokingly protested, pointing at his mail and pouting her lips at Jessica.

"Some of us have a successful business to run," he quipped.

Lily smirked, flipping him off, before it occurred to her, "Oh, for fuck's s- Is that hate mail?" She turned to Jessica. "Am I getting hate mail again?"

Jessica nodded, sheepishly, and Drew assured her, "It's nothing. Its not as much as it seems. It's just been piling up. That's all."

"Let me see," Lily said, holding up her hand and flicking her fingers for Drew to give her the envelope.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he told her.

Lily's hand dropped back to her lap and she frowned. "Is it that bad?"

"It hasn't been much worse than ever before," he reasoned. "You don't need to read it."

Lily recalled Jessica calling it today's mail and her scowl deepened. "I have a feeling I'm being lied to," she decided, "and I don't like that."

With a small nod of admittance, Drew said, "It's for your own good."

"I'm not a child," she argued.

He gave her a sympathetic frown, telling her, "This is _my_ job. You've got enough to worry about. That's all."

"Anything I _should_ worry about?" she pressed.

"No, ma'am," Drew swept his head, confidently. "But, if we're all done here for tonight, I've got some phone calls to make," Drew told them, adding before he turned to the door, "And, uh, if you're going to make anymore noise and cost us any more damages to the room, can you do it before 10 o'clock?"

"Jerk," Lily smirked, flipping him off.

Drew smiled back, with a snort of amusement at the thin grin he got out of her. "Goodnight, ladies."

"Goodnight," Lily halfheartedly replied, with a limp wave after him.

"You okay?" Jessica gently wondered.

Lily took and let out a long breath, staring blankly at the wall across the way. She shook her head, "No." Lily turned her gaze to her assistant. "I'm back to getting daily hate mail?" she disbelievingly marveled. "And now these photos. How am I supposed to compete with this? We're not making any headway. I'm getting dragged two or more times a day by these assholes and she's laughing about it."

"We'll get back on top," Jessica assured her. "We've got Vanity Fair in a week. I'm gonna stay an extra day and meet AD for their shoot of the house for the remodel. Mark's working Rolling Stone and Elle dates soon. You've got the script from Fox and Guillermo's waiting for a date for lunch. She's got nothing but these fifteen minutes. It's going to be okay."

Lily slouched down in her chair, resting her head on the cushion behind her, requesting, "When I have my mental breakdown, please don't let me shave my head."

"I promise," Jessica vowed.


	67. Chapter 67

There was no doubt that everyone knew what was going on, the next morning. Whoever the photographer was who had snapped Lily and Sebastian bickering the day before had sold shots to more than one outlet. The drama was all over the tabloid websites. And everything about the set was a little quieter for it. It seemed people were either waiting to see if something happened or were walking on eggshells to keep from provoking it.

Lily kept to herself or made idle conversation with Jessica. The ladies of the styling departments were uncharacteristically reserved. Even Veronica, who'd worked with Lily many times over the last several years, didn't seem to have much to say. Before their first appearance on set, Jason had called Lily and Sebastian together, shooing everyone but the three of them out of the Hair and Makeup trailer.

"So, I can't help but get the feeling I didn't quite get the truth yesterday," Jason noted, his arms crossed and his tone too flat to be anything less than displeased. "Anyone wanna tell me what's really going on?"

Lily looked back at Jason, but saw Sebastian look to her from the corner of her eye. After a moment of silence, Sebastian spoke up, irritated by her unwillingness to cooperate still, grousing, "Really, Lil?"

She gave him a scathing look and cocked her head. Lily turned back to Jason, coolly checking, "You got your scenes yesterday, right?"

"I don't follow," Jason shook his head.

"You got the scenes done yesterday, just the way you wanted them, correct?" she insisted.

"Yeah," he admitted.

"Then I don't see a problem," she indifferently shrugged.

"Ever heard of a hostile work environment?" Sebastian muttered, and Lily spun to put a finger up in warning to him.

"You want to see hostile?" she dared.

Jason reached out and put a hand on her arm to guide Lily away. "Hey," he scowled. "Is somebody going to explain this to me? Christ, it's like I walked into a fucking Lifetime movie."

"She's having a bad time in the press," Sebastian offhandedly said, turning around one of the styling chairs to sit in.

"Is that it?" Jason looked to Lily. "The press lately?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," she rolled her eyes.

"You know," the director began, "I was on the phone with the studio this morning on my drive over here, asking me if there were any problems they should know about because some photographer was selling photos from _my_ set yesterday saying you two where having some kind of argument. Now," he paused, putting his hand on his chest in earnestness, "I tell him, of course not, because I said, my stars told me everything was okay. So, tell me I didn't just lie, on a conference call with the Chairman and EVP of Sony."

Neither of them said anything, while Jason looked back and worth between them, waiting. "Right now," he said, "we are on schedule and at, or just under, budget. That makes me happy. That makes studios happy. That's music to any exec's ears. But cat fights or pissing contests or whatever the hell is going on, in front of the press, does not fly. So, what do we have to do to fix this? ...Whatever _it_ is."

"I don't know," Sebastian said, waving a hand up at Lily. "I'm not even allowed to talk to her."

"If you'd said the right thing, maybe you-"

"Seriously?" Jason begged, his face twisting in disbelief. "Are we 8 again?"

" _We_ ," Lily said, ticking her finger between herself and Sebastian, "may not be talking, but I can still do my job. I did it yesterday, I'll do it today, and I'll do it until we wrap. I don't have a problem."

"You see?" Sebastian complained. "She doesn't even look at me, but she's talking about me."

Jason flattened his hands together, in a prayer for patience, holding them up to his mouth, and took a deep breath. "I'm not a shrink," he pointed out. "I think I know what this is about, but I don't want to dignify that bullshit by saying it out loud. _Any_ version of it. I'm not going to try and Dr. Phil this little disaster and claim I know how to fix it. I make movies. That's what I do. And right now, I only want two things: to not get fired from this movie and to make it a good movie. I don't think I'm asking a lot. So, can you guys help me out here and please _act_ like professionals while we're together? No fights in front of the paps. No bickering and snarkiness in front of the crew."

"I already said I would," Lily reminded them.

Sebastian let out an indignant huff, flipping his hand up at her again. "Yeah, sure," he contemptuously agreed.

Jason looked up to the ceiling, muttering, "I was having such a good morning." He shook his head, telling them both, "Ten minutes. I wanna see smiles, from both of you. Fake it if you have to. That's what we pay you a shit ton of money for." Grumblingly adding on his way out, "It's like working in a god damn meat locker today."

The trailer door shut and Lily and Sebastian were alone. The only noise came from Sebastian's drumming fingers on the armrest of the chair. It earned him a glare of annoyance from Lily and he lifted his hands to show her he was done, folding them again in his lap. Lily shook her head and turned for the door.

"What the hell do you want, Lilian?" he said after her, swiveling in the chair to keep her in view. She turned around, giving him a hard look for his bored tone, but he went on before she could say anything. "Don't you think this has gone far enough?"

"Hypocrite," she frowned. 

"Hypocrite?" he balked, pointing a finger at himself. "You stomp around here like-"

"Yes, hypocrite," Lily cut in. "You're going to sit there and do this 'Lily won't talk to me' routine, like _I'm_ the only one who should be saying something?"

"Tell me what you want to hear," he invited, opening his hands to hold up, not without a hint of indignation.

"You patronizing son of a bitch," she growled. " _Tell_ you?!"

"I tried to apologize," he insisted. "But you don't seem to be listening. So, that can't be what you want to hear. So, tell me what is."

"I had no idea what an asshole you could be," she told him, leveling her eyes at him.

"And the heights of your bitchiness are impressive as well," he quipped. Fuming, Lily opened her mouth to try and defend herself, but he beat her again. "I'm sorry, Lil. _Okay_? I'm fucking sorry. You happy now?"

"You don't get it," she angrily complained. "Like some half-assed apology like that makes up for it?"

"Make up for what?" he asked. "I didn't apologize fast enough for Ella?" Lily's scowl deepened at his girlfriend's nickname. "That you wouldn't call me back and your little militia out there won't let me within 50 feet of you, if a camera's not rolling, so I could apologize? I didn't _do_ anything."

"That's the problem!" she cried. "You didn't do anything!" Sebastian blinked, dumbfounded by the anger giving way to the hurt in her expression. "You have no idea the humiliation, _every_ _day_ , because of her." She flung her arm, pointing away. "There are people out there that think I deserved what she did. They follow me around and they blame _me_. People are saying _I'm_ ruining _your_ life. But the truth is, _your_  life is fucking great!"

Sebastian's head lolled to the side, as if he had some argument to make, but Lily went on. "You're dating some Swedish supermodel, who _apparently_ has never done a god damn thing wrong in _her_ life and is some kind of media darling. Everybody loves her and doesn't think twice about the shit that falls out of her mouth about me." Lily pointed at herself. "And _me_? I get more hate mail in a day than anything else, Alex is gone, and I'm back to being the town whore, according to the press."

She blinked back the tears she felt at her lashes. "And you," she looked him up and down. "You don't have a damn thing to say about any of it. You just walked away and let her go on and on." She shook her head. "She must be the best fuckin' lay on the planet, if you can let her treat your friends that way."

He was speechless. All he could do was stare. Sebastian straightened up in his chair, saying, "Lil, I- ...I'm sorry. I didn't know it-" He shook his head, his brow pinching up in sincerity. "I feel terrible that you-"

"Don't feel bad for me," she rolled her eyes. "Don't pity me, or anything else. I'm used to it. I should know better, by now, right? So, I guess, shame on me."

"Lil," he called after her, popping up out of his seat as she moved for the door at the end of the trailer again. She didn't look, waving him away, but his strides were longer and faster than hers and he caught her wrist before she could open the door. "Wait just a damn minute." She spun around to face him, fire burning behind her damp eyes, and it wounded him to see it. "Shame on you for what?" he asked.

Lily tugged her arm free of his hand, focusing on trying to keep her voice steady, as she told him, "For thinking you were different than the rest of them."

"That's bullshit, Lilian, and you know it," he growled.

She held up her hands, pulling her shoulders up in a long shrug, as she said, "All evidence to the contrary, but who cares?" Lily let her hands fall to her sides. "Everybody gets something out of knowing me, right? Guess you got this movie."

"Fuck you, Lil," he spat, his eyes raking, incredulously, down her. "I have _never_ used you for anything."

"It doesn't matter," she tiredly shook her head. "We're here. Let's just get it over with so we can all go home."

The sniffle she made, wiping under her eyes with her thumbs to spare her makeup as she turned to go, was like a punch in the gut. He watched her walk out the door and down the trailer steps, lost for what to say again. He heard her ask Jessica to "find V" for her, just as the door closed behind her. 

Sebastian's hands balled into tight fists at his sides, his jaw clenching to keep from yelling. He'd never been so mad in his life. He kicked the styling chair closest to him, sending it spinning on its stand, before storming out the door and back to his trailer. A quick look around on his way showed him that Jason was waiting by the monitors and Lily was in her trailer. He clocked Ami standing outside her door and knew he wouldn't be there if she wasn't. Sebastian hurried into his trailer, turning his head up to the ceiling and taking a deep breath, as the door shut itself.

"God damn it," he muttered, pushing his hands back through his hair. There was a knock on his door and he called out a distracted, "Yeah" in answer.

"Five minutes, Mr. Stan," the PA informed him.

"Be right there," he promised.

Sebastian muttered a profanity under his breath and straightened up. He looked himself over and tugged at the hem of his t-shirt to smooth it, before he stepped out of his trailer. Crossing the closed off street to the house they were using for Pete and Emma's home. There were just doing a couple of fast traveling shots of Sebastian walking from the car in the driveway to the front door. Lily wasn't scheduled to appear for another 30 minutes.

He set up in the driver's seat of Pete's car, clicking on his seatbelt. He cracked his neck, tipping his head sharply from one shoulder to the other, as he waited for his director's command to begin his silent scene. When he heard the word, Sebastian went through the motions of getting out of the car, getting the mail from the box on the porch, and letting himself inside. He did a round of this several times and a few different ways. He was mostly on autopilot, recreating whatever Jason asked for, while he replayed his conversation with Lily in the back of his head.

When his little part was done, Sebastian handed off the mail to the Prop Master and sat down on the porch steps to wait for the next round of filming to begin. Lily would be out soon. He hoped she had enough time to calm down and center herself. The scene they had to do next was supposed to be a pleasant one. She couldn't play off her anger or let her resentment of him show this time. And just as importantly, he didn't want Jason to think, or know, that things had actually gotten worse.

Lily wasn't sure how, but she managed to get through the day. By the end of it, she was exhausted. Veronica had met her in her trailer, after her blow up with Sebastian, helping her with a couple of fast touch ups to her makeup. She didn't ask why Lily had been crying. She just went to the sink and wrung out a cold washcloth to have Lily lay over her eyes for a few minutes to keep the puffiness at bay. Jessica asked Veronica to keep the visit to herself and the seasoned artist assured her she would.

Lily retreated to her trailer on breaks, shielded from view by her bodyguards and assistant walking with her to keep themselves in between her and the smattering of fans and photogs gathered at the barricades closing off the roadway. Drew had recruited Brandon to come up and join his detail. The third set of eyes kept to the edge of the set, keeping a constant watch of the bystanders and periodically advising Drew over the surreptitious microphone in his palm of anything noteworthy. The car was going to be parked next to Lily's trailer from then on, keeping her from having to see the crowd as she arrived at and left the set.

When the day wrapped, there was a message waiting for Lily to call back her publicist, as she got into the dark tinted SUV for the ride back to the hotel. She didn't hold back, when he asked how the shoot had gone, telling him, in summary, about her meeting with the director and the subsequent fight with Sebastian. He seemed genuinely worried, when he asked if she was going to be able to complete the project. Lily assured him she could, despite her own misgivings she held in secret, noting she had a day off tomorrow to collect herself, before returning to the set on Monday.

"I just want to be sure," Mark explained. "I've started hearing from Will and Carolyn pretty regularly, the last couple days. They both got a call from the studio today, just like I did. The studio heads are trying to feel this out and they don't want to rush to any rash decisions, but, Lily, I'm sure you know, if this gets anymore out of hand-"

"They'll fire me?" she guessed, maybe a little bit more arrogantly than she meant.

"They won't fire you," he told her.

Lily blinked, absorbing the emphasis he placed in his reply. "Oh," was all she managed to say.

"Now, that's worst case scenario," he assured her. "But there's a lot of money tied up in the production. Everybody knows, you're the draw for this. Sebastian doesn't have the star power and name recognition to carry it without you, and they know it. They upped the budget and marketing because  _you_ signed on, not him. They're already holding a release date, they just haven't announced it yet. Delays and recasting is the last thing they want to do, but face it, if it comes down to you or him, they'll take the hit and replace him. If anything, the controversy will probably bump sales."

"Jesus," Lily groaned.

"You know it's true," Mark insisted, and she did. "I don't care if you guys are friends anymore," he went on. "You don't have to like him or even be nice to him anymore. But you _have_ to keep the fights off set and out of the public eye, okay?"

"Someone needs to tell him," Lily pointed out.

"I'll reach out to his people and make sure his reps get the memo," he reluctantly agreed. "Can I be honest with you, Lil?"

"Yes, god," she begged. "Please."

"They've already asked if they should drop him," he admitted. "They're not going to lose you. The Chairman's already said, whatever it takes to keep you happy..."

"Are you serious?" she worried, suddenly aware of Sebastian being on his rise and how badly getting fired from a project like this could hurt him or, worse, ruin him.

"I'm just trying to keep you in the loop here," Mark said. "I know it's not good news lately, but I don't want you surprised by anything, if we can help it. This is pretty serious, Lily. It's getting bigger than just the two of you. The studio is concerned. They're crunching numbers and making plan B's, and ready to wake up their PR team.

"Now, I don't know if you're pissed off enough to have them go through with it," he went on, "but you better think about it and decide which way you're willing to let this go. If they drop him, it's not going to fix our problem with Gabri-"

"We're not really considering this," she balked, "are we?"

"They're options on the table, Lily," Mark told her.


	68. Chapter 68

Lily shook her head. "That's not on the table," she said firmly.

"That's fine," he assured her. "But remember then, you have to behave. The damned photogra-"

"It won't be a problem," she nodded to herself. "The guys out here from MPS are working around the paps. It won't happen again. I promise."

"How many guys are out there?" he checked.

"Three, now," she told him.

"Is that enough?" he asked. "Should I set up more?"

Flashing Drew a grin in the rear view mirror as he drove, Lily said, "No. Drew's got it all under control."

"If you're okay with it," Mark moved on, "I'm going to send a writer from Rolling Stone back to Portland with you. She'd fly out with you and shadow you a few days, doing some candid shots as she goes, and they'd have a photographer there for your day off for a more formal shoot on the 20th."

"Seems rushed," Lily warily noted.

"It's gonna be a soft piece," he assured her. "More of a behind the scenes, day in the life. You've got a lot of momentum going now, Lil. These guys are begging for it. You make them a lot of money. I know it's a lot at once. It'll be like doing the junket while you film. It'll be hectic, but, if we can pull all this off, you'll ride this all the way to the Oscars."

Mark was an expensive publicist for good reason. His instincts were incredible and he was a master at crafting and curating celebrity images. Despite the stumbles she had lately, by being outplayed in the tabloid media, Mark was still worth every penny. In a matter of just a couple weeks, he'd managed to wrangle in offers to put her on covers of top magazines, having them clambering over each other to get her in front of a camera with them. Packing it all in while she was filming was a challenge, but she understood it was all part of winning the long game of outclassing the competition and salvaging her image. And Lily could admit to herself, that the satisfaction of filming a movie while simultaneously dominating mainstream media, while Gabriella did pap walks, was particularly enticing, despite the work it would take.

"Then what?" Lily invited.

The new enthusiasm in Mark's voice was unmistakable. "Elle and W, when you come back to LA, for December. We have the Vanity Fair cover guaranteed for November; Architectural digest and Rolling Stone, end of November and beginning December, respectively; and Carolyn was going to call after you wrap tonight with, what I gotta say is, my personal favorite. Reps from L'Oréal want to start talks about a print and television deal and Dior is interested in having you do another campaign."

"Are you shitting me?" Lily coughed.

"No, I'm not," he chuckled. "Tell me that's not the best revenge."

"That's-" Lily had to laugh. She didn't know how else to respond.

"It's beautiful, Lil," he said for her.

"Why did I ever doubt you?" Lily wondered, covering her hand to her mouth to try and reign in her smile.

"All good things..." he reminded her. "It's going to be a busy month, but the reward is going to be so worth it. I promise."

"I know," she agreed. Lily nodded to herself. "I can make this work. I'll have Jessica call you about scheduling and travel for the reporter."

"While I've got you," Mark began, "the one thing we need to schedule is the timing for you and Alex."

"Oh," Lily remembered, her grin falling. "Right."

"My thoughts?" he offered, and went on. "He probably won't come up for Vanity Fair, not the way they're planning to write about you. But with Rolling Stone following you, its going to be a lot more casual. I'm sure it'll come up. I know he's out of town filming, but I'd like to work with his camp and get him to interact with you while the writer is there. Nothing obvious or over the top, just some calls or texts or something for them to see. Very low key. And when you come back home, at the start of November, I think will be the time. He'll still be gone, the LA press is way more familiar and friendly with you, and with all the positive attention from this blitz we're starting, I think it'll play well to the relationship ending due to work and we'll get the sympathy we want out of it."

Lily gave a small nod, looking out her window, as they pulled up to her hotel. "Yeah, sure," she agreed. "If that's what you think is best."

"It should all go away before the holidays," Mark told her, "and then we get started on award season and a clean slate for next year."

"Sounds good," Lily admitted.

Sebastian paced, slowly, distractedly staring at his phone. He ran his fingers back through the side of his hair, debating what to do. He could call Lily. Drew couldn't keep him from talking to her on the phone. ...But Lily could ignore his call. He could call Gabriella, but he didn't know how to start that conversation, how to ask what she'd been up to, or what to do when he heard, if he didn't like it. He sat down in the arm chair in the living area of his suite and unlocked his phone.

Opening up the web browser, he sucked in a deep breath, typed in Lily's name, and searched. He started with the articles. Her recent gala appearance topped the list. He didn't see anything wrong with the event articles, but he tapped to open the images Google had of the red carpet for the MPTF gala and took note of the ones lower on the page, of Lily and Alex leaving the event. He frowned at seeing the couple walking with their attention fixed ahead, and the bow of Lily's head and her lack of smile. He spotted Drew in a couple wider framed shots, his attention taken by the hard look on the tuxedoed bodyguard's face as he looked into the crowd, leading Lily and Alex. He backed out of the image results and went back to reading.

Some of the stories he'd heard about from friends. Dated, gossipy mentions about the party and Gabriella's behavior there. Further down the screen he found some trashy write-ups alleging an affair. But he got to the heart of the matter when he searched his girlfriend's name and saw the top post was a video. Settling back in his seat, he hit "play" and watched. His jaw worked against itself, listening to Gabriella take thinly veiled shots at Lily and seeing her smiling as she did it.

Fuming, he gave up reading links and just scrolled through titles. He got the picture pretty quick. Sebastian went back to find the photo of Lily leaving the gala. He scowled at the image, thinking about what Drew had told him; how people chased her, "calling her a whore, just like your girlfriend did". And he was incensed, thinking that he might be looking at a picture of one of those moments. He closed the browser and opened his phone.

"Shit," he muttered, clenching his fist around his phone. He checked the clock on the cable box over the TV, doing the math in his head for what time it was in St. Barts. Gabriella was on a vacation with some girlfriends. He knew if she answered her phone, she wouldn't be alone, and this was a conversation for just the two of them. He was spared further debate, when his phone rang in his hand.

"Hello?"

"Hello?" Gabriella sulked. "It's a question? Not excited to hear from me?"

Sebastian took the phone away from his ear and checked the screen. "Where are you calling from? I didn't know it was you."

"From Anna's phone," she explained, proudly. "We're out to dinner and I left mine in the villa by mistake."

"Oh, okay," he distractedly nodded, trying to think of where to start.

"I miss you," Gabriella sang. "How was your day? We've been at the beach all day, and it's been wonderful."

"Oh, yeah?" He cocked up a brow, slightly annoyed to hear she was having fun while he was miserable. "Well, I can't say that my day's been wonderful."

"Oh, no," she pouted. "My poor Sebby. What's wrong?"

"A lot, actually," he huffed.

Her tone dropped, asking, "Is this about the pictures yesterday?"

"What pictures?" he played dumb.

"Of that trifling woman and her meltdown on set, or whatever," Gabriella suggested.

"Ella," he griped, stopping himself as he wiped his hand over his mouth and took a breath. "That's not what-" He shook his head. "Don't be unkind. What have you been doing?"

"What? Me?" she begged, sounding almost surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah, you," he nodded, getting up from his chair to pace across the room. "What are you doing? Did you do a fuckin' pap walk for TMZ the other day?"

"Did I-" she balked. "No, it was a coincidence. I was just going shopping with Anna and Rachel for this trip and-"

"What'd you say all that stuff for?" Sebastian pressed. "What were you thinking?"

"I answered their questions," she may as well have shrugged. "What's wrong with that?"

"You're throwing gasoline on a fire," he insisted, " _that's_ what's wrong."

"Is she so sensitive she can't-"

"Dammit, Ella," he complained, carding a hand into his hair. "You need to stop. This is fucking ridiculous."

"Excuse me?" Gabriella balked. "I need to stop? _You_ need to stop."

"Oh, me?" he gaped, pointing a finger back at himself, as if she could see. 

"Yes, you," she said. "Did you read what they wrote about those pictures? Why do you always chase after her? It's insulting. It's embarrassing."

"Oh, for fuck's sake," he grimaced. "I'm not chasing after her. I'm trying to apologize, so that we can get through the day without being at each other's throats the whole god damn time were supposed to be-"

"I'm sure her boyfriend would think the same, if he were there," she assured him, "but no. Somehow you manage to get caught in these pictures when neither of us is around. I'm sure he has something to say abou-"

"He has nothing to do with this, Ella," he hotly interrupted. "This is about you-"

"Sticking up for myself," she interjected, "to all the people telling me my boyfriend is cheating on me with that whor-"

"Jesus _Christ_ ," he growled. " _Stop_ calling her a whore. Nobody was saying anything like that, until you threw a drink in her face and started this whole mess."

"I showed you the-"

"You're gonna believe some click bait bullshit over me?" Sebastian challenged. "I told you, there's no me and Lily. There never was. Never will be, either. Now, you have to stop, Ella. ...Fuck. I have to work with her."

"Then work with her and leave her alone," Gabriella practically pleaded.

"That's not a problem," he tiredly assured her. "We don't even talk anymore. Isn't that what you want?"

There was a quiet pause before Gabriella admitted, "Yes. Now, I don't have to worry."

"Jesus," he breathed out, dropping into the couch and resting his head into his upturned hand. "What did you ever have to worry about?"

"I just get so jealous," she told him. "Everybody loves you. And you're so handsome and kind and- You're such a good person. It's so easy to mistake that for something else, with someone like her with her reputation. It just makes me so nervous that somebody will take advantage of that and you'll leave me for someone like that, or someone prettier. I don't know what'd I'd do if y-"

"Ella, stop," he sighed, dropping his hand to his lap and his head to the back of the couch. "I'm not gonna cheat on you. I don't cheat. That's not me." He stretched his hand and massaged a finger and his thumb at his temples. "You're beautiful, sweetheart. You know that."

"Thank you."

He heard the smile in her voice and it made him sigh again, quietly. "Look, I just got home," he tiredly told her. "I'm gonna get off of here and get something to eat. I'll talk to you later, alright? Have fun."

They said their goodbyes and Sebastian let out an aggravated groan. He dropped his phone on the cushion beside him and scrubbed his hands up and down his face, leaning forward onto his knees.  He looked blankly across the living room of his suite and shook his head. Sebastian grabbed the room service menu off the coffee table, trying to clear his head. He flipped through a couple pages, not actually reading any of the words he saw.

"Fuck!" he yelled, suddenly angered all over again and throwing the small book across the room.

Sebastian stared at where the menu slid to a stop by a leg of the dining table. He was pissed and conflicted again. This time he wasn't sure if it was more angry at Gabriella making him give up Lily or Lily for making it so easy. He forgot about food and got up to go to his bedroom and change. When he was done, he grabbed a beer out of the small kitchenette and sat down on the couch to turn on the TV. He absentmindedly flipped through the channels, eventually calming down to settle on an old Clint Eastwood movie and call down to order dinner, before going to bed early.

Lily had been shying away from her social media again. She hadn't posted anything since before the gala and relied on her assistant and team to let her know what was happening on the internet. But Lily couldn't help herself anymore. Lying in bed, she picked up her phone and opened Twitter. She searched her tag and instantly frowned.

Her fight with Gabriella was a gif now that someone had photoshopped the women's faces over a scene from a Real Housewives clip of a drink being thrown. She was vilified and lampooned in the tags, calling her a home wrecker, a slut, and an attention seeker. There were some fans defending her and attacking Sebastian's girlfriend on Lily's behalf, but there were ineffective compared to the sheer volume of malicious tweets on Gabriella's side. Instagram wasn't as cruel, but it was still there- adding comments to her gala dress posts and to photos of her and Sebastian from their Broadway run, nitpicking and analyzing to try and see signs of the alleged affair.

After only a few minutes of browsing each sight, Lily gave up, exhausted.


	69. Chapter 69

Lily slept in, enjoying the warmth and softness of her bed for a couple extra hours of sleep she didn't know how much she needed. When she finally went downstairs, Jessica was working at the dining room table. She offered to make or get Lily breakfast, but Lily waved her off, picking up the Room Service menu as she tucked herself into the corner of the couch. While Lily browsed the menu, Jessica caught her up on the details of her work, giving her the highlights from business emails and social offerings for when she was back in LA next month.

Jessica called down to order food for herself and Lily. She passed on that Drew and his associates were waiting to hear from Lily when she woke up to see if she had any plans to travel on her day off. Lily groaned at the idea of being in public and trying to enjoy herself anymore. She could already imagine the paparazzi and Gabriella's groupies harassing her.

"No," Lily shook her head at the idea. "No, I think I'm in for the day. Besides, I've got that script I need to finish. I don't have time to wonder around aimlessly."

Her assistant nodded, telling her she'd let Drew know. Lily excused herself to the shower before breakfast would arrive. She secretly hoped it might wash away some of the shame she felt about hiding in her hotel.

Lily was back on set the next day for an afternoon call. Resting, or hiding as the case may be, the day before had Lily feeling a little more energetic about work. She didn't know how long the feeling would last, but she made the conscious decision to enjoy it while it did. Drew and his staff did their best to limit Lily's exposure to the small crowd that gathered daily as she moved around between trailers and ultimately into the house on set. She could hear voices, but not what they were saying. She tried to convince herself the crowd noises were the usual greetings and begging for autographs, as she went inside.

She came across Sebastian in the upstairs room set up for Pete's office. He was looking over the script for the day and generally seemed to be ignoring her, as she brightly greeted her director for the first time today. Jason gave her a few notes and then called the cramped set to order for a quick rehearsal. Sebastian passed off his papers to the nearby PA and Lily waited. They listened to a few points of order for the day from Jason to the crew, waiting for their queue. 

"Got a call from my publicist," Sebastian mentioned. Lily wagged up her brow to say she was listening, but didn't respond. "Yeah," he went on, coolly. "Told me the studio's pissed about all the fuckin' around on set and put me on notice to behave myself." Lily finally looked at him, the corner of her lip pulled into her teeth in nervousness and embarrassment. "Don't worry, Lilian," he assured her. "You can call off your dogs. I'll be keeping my distance. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Lily opened her mouth but was cut off by Jason calling for the walk-thru to begin. The stars went over the scene, running lines rather dryly and saving their energy for the real takes. Jason offered a couple constructive criticisms and everyone was agreed, they were ready to film. The crew was set and Jason called, "Action."

Sebastian took his seat in Pete's chair and Lily stood outside the room, coming in on her cue from Jason to sit down in front of the desk while Sebastian played at writing on the computer in front of him. There was a pause, before Lily cleared her throat for his attention.

"One second, Em," he said, still focused on his work. "I just need... to finish this..."

"I want a divorce," she quietly announced.

"Again? I thought you forgot about that last week," he smirked, his grin falling when she didn't respond to the joke. Sebastian was slow to stop typing and look at her. There was a lull while Pete was scripted to gape for a moment at realizing Emma was serious, before Sebastian asked, “Why do- What'd I do? I mean, we have everything you said you wanted and I- Have you ever wanted for anything? Haven’t I always given you whatever you wanted?” 

“Yes, you have. But it’s not about the things," she shook her head, readying herself for the arguments their characters were about to make.

"Then what?" he invited. "You're not happy here. You wanna move back to the city? What? ...I know things have slowed down here," he gestured at his desk, "but I'm back on track, now. Writer's block? Gone. I'm gonna get this to the publisher by next month, at the latest, and then the checks are gonna start-"

"No," she sighed. "You're not listening." Lily shook her head. "It’s not about money," she promised. "I knew you- I met you, when there was nothing. Living off peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, working two jobs while you wrote, listening to dreams and promises about when we made it. I don’t care about this house, the money from the damned book; about any of it. It's never been about money with us."

"Then what do you want?" he frowned. 

"I don't want to be married anymore," she told him, a crack coming to her voice. 

Sebastian tiredly scrubbed his hands up and down his face. “I don't understand. You gotta explain why." He shook his head. "You made a promise," he reminded her. "You said, for better or worse.”

“So did you.” 

“I’m still here!" he snapped, sitting up in his seat, and Lily winced. Sebastian pointed an impassioned finger back at himself. "I’m the one living up to my promise. I’m not gonna leave you.”

“Don’t turn this on me," Lily warned. "You always turn this on me. I can’t live up to my end of a promise if you keep changing the deal.” 

“Changing the deal?" he scoffed. "I’m-” 

“You’re a liar," she finished for him. "A year ago, months before that, and two years before that."

"The fuck do you want from me, Emma?" he demanded, getting up to stalk a couple steps from his chair, waving an angry hand up at her.

"Nothing," she shook her head, getting up to walk out of the room and leaving Sebastian standing there, dumbfounded, before he chased after her.

"Cut! ...Perfect," Jason smiled. "Let's do a couple more, before we start ruining makeup with the next one."

The schedule had moved on, and Sebastian found himself stumbling a few times through takes of Pete chasing after Emma. There was a lot of emotion in the scenes today and a lot of heated dialogue. It made for more flubs than usual for the two stars. Sebastian silently scolded himself a few times, considering he might be letting his own anger and resentment towards Lily distract from the lines he knew he had committed to memory. The nature of the script, though, meant everyone was understanding. Everyone knew scenes like this rarely ran smoothly, especially in one long take like they were trying to do.

"I. am. tired, okay?" Lily growled, tugging her arm out of Sebastian's hand and going to the closet, for the fifth attempt at the continuous take in a row, to get her sweater.

"Em, I need you here, with me," he pleaded. "Okay, sweetheart? Just, let’s-"

"No!" she bit. "I can’t do this. Over and over and over again. I can’t keep picking you up. Physically, emotionally- I can’t do it anymore. Pete, you need help."

"Oh, for fuck's sake," he grimaced. "Again?! Every god damned time..." His eyes raked down her, while she pulled on her sweater and turned back to the closet for her shoes. "You act like I’m drunk 24/7. I’m doing bett-"

Lily straightened up from bending down to the closet floor. "No, you’re not!"

"You’re not listening," he insisted. "You never listen. Every time I say something, you just walk all over me."

She held up a finger, arguing, "That’s not true. I listen to everything. And I know every apology you ever made and the list of promises you broke, by heart."

"That’s not fair," he complained. "Emma, that’s not fair. I have done everything for you." He turned, watching her as she brushed by him to sit on the bed and put on her shoes. "Haven’t I given you everything you wanted?” Sebastian asked.

"I don’t need _things_ ," she cried. "I need you."

Sebastian hit his hand to his chest. "I’m right here!"

Lily shook her head, the tears threatening to fall over her lashes until she looked up again. "You’re not," she swept her head. "There’s a version of you, but it’s not you."

"What do you want?" he begged. "What do you want me to say? Tell me what to do."

"I can’t," she told him.

"Why not?" he demanded, looking down at her on the bed. "If you know everything that I’ve done wrong, you should know how to fix it."

She recoiled a little from his rigid frame, quietly telling him, "It doesn’t work that way."

"Because you’re full of shit," he angrily decided. "Because-"

" _Me_?" Lily gaped. "I’m full of shit?"

Sebastian nodded. “You, on your fuckin’ high horse, judging everybody," he seethed, "judging me. Nothing I do is good enough for you. But here we are; in this fuckin’ house that I bought for you, full of everything you ever asked for.” Lily shook her head, getting up and walking around him to open up a dresser drawer and start pulling clothes to pack. “I’d still be living in an apartment in New York, if it wasn’t for you. But you wanted a house and a yard and I gave it to you."

Lily dropped the clothes back into the drawer, exasperated. " _Things_ , Pete. Things," she repeated, the tears coming down her cheeks now. "I don’t need a husband to give me things. I need him to be there for me, not make me make up excuses because he’s too hung over to meet our friends or family." Sebastian scoffed at her, but Lily pressed on, condescendingly assuring him, "They _all_ know. Everybody sees it. Do you have any idea how that feels? The looks I get and things I hear whispered about you; _about_ _me_? You have _no_ idea what any of this does to me, because it’s all about you; what _you_ need, what _you_ want to do." She gave him a scathing once over. "You don’t care about me anymore, if you really ever did."

"When did I not care?" he insisted on knowing, watching her grab a handful of clothes to hold in her arm."When was it _ever_ not about you?" But she didn't answer, and he followed her back into the hall. The steadycam followed them around the corner back into the den, as Lily grabbed Emma's tote from the closet to stuff her things in. Sebastian watched her pack, letting it feed Pete's resentment. "Everything I do is about you," he insisted. "It’s all I think about. You’re everywhere; in my head, on these pages, in these characters." 

She pointed at the prop manuscript on his desk and to the shelves lined with his accolades and collection of books and magazines. "That’s not real, Pete," she spat. Lily pointed back at herself. " _I_ am. I’m real. I’m right here, and it doesn’t even register to you anymore. You’re so lost in your stories and the writing that you drive yourself mad with deadlines and rewrites, and you forget everything that’s right in front of you. You don’t sleep, you don’t eat, and then you get so frustrated that you end up back in the bottle and that’s the only thing you listen to. Not me. Not your family or friends. You lose everything, Pete." She caught her breath. "And you lost me."

Sebastian stared, frozen in disbelief, until Lily shouldered her bag and started to walk out of the room. "Emma, stop," he said, his head tipped helplessly to the side. "Don’t go." He followed in her steps until she stopped in the doorway to push him back when he took her hand again. "You know I can’t write without you. I need-" Lily shook her head, tears still streaking her cheeks, and put her hand up, walking away, as he called after her, begging "Emma, come on, please. Emma, don’t do this to me!"

Sebastian stared down the hall, the cameraman framing the shot over his shoulder, as Lily's hurried footsteps faded down the steps and a moment later the front door slammed. "God dammit!" Sebastian yelled, turning back into the office. His eyes ran over the room and he crossed over to the desk in one long stride. Sebastian grabbed the manuscript, throwing it across the room and sweeping Pete's notes and other loose items off the desk to the floor. He turned, with a guttural growl as he punched the wall. Cradling his fist in his hand, Sebastian turned his shoulder into the wall and slumped to the floor, before Jason called to cut the scene.

Laughing, in apparent relief at finally having gotten the scene done in one shot, Jason called down the hallway, "Did Lily really leave? Has she finally had enough of doing this one over and over?"

Someone downstairs answered with a loud "no" and Lily was on her way back up. She dabbed the side of her thumb at her cheek, passing off Emma's bag and taking off her sweater and shoes for the prop master to reset. Veronica met Lily, handing her a tissue to wipe her eyes and ushering her into the lighting of the bedroom to redo her makeup.

"Let's take a break," Jason recommended, eager to get in front of the monitors and see how the scene looked. 

Lily waited for the next call in the bedroom, flopped down on the bed, feeling run down from the emotionally draining afternoon. There were still hours left to go in the schedule. When the set began to still, the crew members thinning out to make runs on the bathroom or get something to eat, Lily closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, enjoying the quiet.

"You okay?"

Her peaceful moment was interrupted by the hesitant question from Sebastian leaning his shoulder into the doorway. Lily lifted her head to see him. She cleared her throat, giving a tight nod, as she sat up and smoothed a hand over the back of her hair.

"Fine," she said. 

"It's just, ya know..." he trailed off. "The scenes today. It's a long day," Sebastian mentioned, jerking his thumb behind him.

"Yeah," Lily agreed.

He wasn't sure what he expected, but he figured he shouldn't have hoped for more than her short answers. Sebastian lifted his chin, breathing in. He straightened up from his lean to turn out of the doorway, with a parting, "Yeah."


	70. Chapter 70

It was 11 o'clock before shooting wrapped for the day. It was arguably one of the most demanding days of the schedule, and it showed in the way Lily shuffled her way into the car for the ride back to the hotel. They were up to two cars for Lily's entourage. With Lily and Jessica riding with Ami, Drew and Brandon had a second SUV to give Lily some space. The second car conveniently helped act as a buffer between Lily and the press that followed her on her daily commutes. They stopped at a drive-thru for a quick dinner. Lily wasn't interested in the wait on Room Service so late in the night.

Lily's attention was down, scrolling through messages and emails on her phone. She blinked, unaware of why she'd dropped her phone and confused for why the car had stopped and Jessica was kneeling on her seat by Lily's side. Lily looked around, seeing Ami touch his head and push the sagging airbag away from him. After a moment of struggle, Drew wrenched open the front passenger door, leaning in and switching his attention back and forth between Ami and Lily. 

Lily swept her head, rubbing a hand to her neck and tuning in to the sound of Drew's voice, with a kind of urgency to it she found confusing, asking if she was okay. She nodded, despite the pounding in her head. Next to her, Jessica said she was fine and Ami was already throwing off his seatbelt to get out of the car. Outside, Lily became aware of flashes popping and camcorder lights glaring. She was a bit fuzzy on why Jessica was so animated and asked what happened to her phone. She heard Drew tell her not to move, before he slipped back out the car door and shut it behind him.

"What the hell?" Lily wondered, looking around the windows.

"Some asshole swerved into the lane and Ami hit him," Jessica frowned, still fussing over Lily. "You don't remember?"

Looking out the windshield, Lily saw the crumpled hood of their SUV and the back end of another truck. "Are you okay?" Lily worried, looking Jessica over. She nodded and Lily asked, "Where'd Ami go?"

"They're all outside," Jessica told her, after a quick look around. 

It got a little darker in the car as Drew and his guys threw their suit coats over the windshield to block the photographers views as they tried to come around the front of the crash. "Did someone call the cops?" Lily asked.

"I'm sure somebody did," Jessica nodded, before she sighed, looking down at herself, muttering, "Dammit."

It occurred to Lily that the backseat and floor were littered with the food they'd bought only a few minutes earlier. Jessica had been holding one of the trays of drinks in her lap and was now wearing the better part of two large sodas. Lily shared Jessica's unhappiness, when her assistant tried for a moment of levity and complained they didn't even get to eat, trying to pick up napkins from the floor to help clean Jessica up. The women stayed in the car, like they were told, and a couple of minutes later, sirens were heard coming up from behind them on the road.

Between Drew and his staff and the arriving first responders, the photographers had been muscled away, warned out of the roadway with threats of being cited or arrested for blocking traffic or worse. Drew came back to the SUV, opening the door for a couple of firemen to check on Lily and Jessica. Both ladies were questioned briefly and then moved to an ambulance. Lily walked with her hand on Drew's arm, not quite feeling well. While they were evaluated, Drew stood in the ambulance, blocking the view of the small windows in the doors. Drew told her Ami was being looked at outside, but he was fine. It looked like the driver that cut them off was intoxicated and Drew had made sure he didn't wander off until the police arrived.

There were some concerns that Lily had a concussion. The EMTs recommended she go to the hospital. Lily consented to the trip, after Drew insisted. Jessica was fine, getting away with only some discomfort from the seatbelt locking across her. Brandon would take her back to the hotel, when the police were finished getting a statement from Ami and himself. An officer said he would meet Drew at the hospital for a statement from him, as well.

There wasn't such a thing as a private room in the emergency department. Drew stood watch at the end of the room, making sure no curious staff or patients tried to peek in behind the closed curtain hiding Lily from view _._ The police came by as promised, getting statements about the crash, although Lily wasn't much help. They had been there about an hour, by the time Brandon caught up, saying Ami had checked himself in. Brandon assured Lily that Jessica was fine and confirmed that the other driver was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. Ami came to Lily's room about 45 minutes later with a splinted thumb for a sprain from the airbag deploying. As expected, the press was already camped on the sidewalk outside the hospital.

Brandon had brought Lily her phone, telling her Jessica had fielded some calls from her publicist and her manager already. Tabloid news travels fast and there were already pictures and video on Twitter of the crash scene. She made short phone calls to Mark and Will, assuring them neither of them needed to come up to Portland. She turned her phone off after that to stop its incessant chiming in of messages and calls. The studio had one of the producers check on Lily and wait with her. When it was all said and done, Lily was diagnosed with a minor concussion. The doctor gave her information and recommended some rest from work. Her producer agreed she should take some time off and Drew assured everyone Lily would be kept under close watch while she convalesced.

To beat the local press and paparazzi, Lily was taken out an employee entrance on the side of the hospital. They left out a back driveway for ambulances and Brandon drove them back to the hotel. Without anyone following them, the group stopped at another drive-thru. There were snacks to be had at the hospital, but no one had eaten any real food since the dinner break on set hours ago. Lily made a joke about getting the burgers home safely this time and Brandon promised he was a better driver than Ami, who promptly flipped him off with his uninjured hand.

Jessica was still up, anxiously waiting in the living room of Lily's suite when the others arrived. The starlet and her bodyguards had ordered food for everyone and they all sat around the table, tiredly eating and talking about the evening's events. A check of Jessica's phone showed that Lily was the talk of the town. Local channels ran "breaking news" stories about the crash, promising updates with the morning newscast. Social media was all aflutter, with reposts of pictures from the accident scene and a majority of well wishing posts. Mark had taken to her official accounts, putting up a message on her behalf, assuring fans Lily was fine, thanking them for their concerns, and thanking the police and fire departments for their help. It was nearly 3 a.m., when Lily finally crawled into bed.

In the morning, Lily had a long list of calls and messages to return and the tabletop and counters were filling with flowers that had been sent to the hotel for her. The suite smelled divine for it all and it was a refreshing sight to wake up to. For as tired as she was, after the demanding day at work and the whole ordeal of the accident, Lily was kept up by her thoughts, thinking about the ironic headlines that would have come and the parallels they'd draw between Lily and her mother, if the crash had been fatal. Honestly, she'd been unnerved the whole ride back to the hotel, unable to stop her mind's morbid wandering and calculating the odds of being hit by a drunk driver.

Over a late breakfast, Lily cheated, parting out some of the text messages for Jessica to reply to, before her assistant changed their travel plans to go back to LA a little early. She sputtered into her coffee, snickering when Jessica admitted she could basically just copy and paste the same response for several of the messages. Lily admired the genius of the simple move and assured Jessica there was a good Christmas present in her future for all her "hard work".

Lily was left returning phone calls to studio big wigs and friends. She managed to keep conversations short, assuring everyone the crash looked worse than it was and praising her little team for handling the incident so professionally for her. She didn't realize it, but it took almost two hours to weed through her missed calls and messages. She was sure to send a text for Alex to read whenever he had a chance, telling him not to worry about whatever he saw in the press or be baited by journalists looking to overdramatize the event for the sake of a quote by time the story hit his time zone.

After her lunch, she got a call from Alex, relieved to hear she was doing well and catching up about her other troubles in the press. They talked for almost a half hour, before he was off to bed for an early call in his morning. It made her feel a little better to hear from him again, a little more relaxed. Later, Lily saw a post from Alex on Instagram, responding to his followers concerns, saying, "Just wanted to let everyone know that @thelilyb is doing well. Thank you all for the tags & messages. We appreciate the incredible love & support you've been sending".

But there was one message she'd been putting off answering. There was a missed call and a few text messages from Sebastian that had come in earlier in the morning, before Lily had turned her phone back on. She debated not replying, but eventually decided she didn't see the harm in just a short text, if only to keep him from messaging again.

Seb: You okay? Got a call about an accident. Call me back [12:14 AM]

Seb: Heard we're shutting down a few days while you rest. Are you okay? [8:20 AM]

Seb: Call me back please. Just checking on you [8:41 AM]

Lily was curled up in the corner of the living room couch, with a half-drunk bottle of water in her lap and Jessica and the boys gathered around watching a movie with her. While they laughed along to the idiocy of Zoolander, Lily opened up her conversation with Sebastian.

Lily: I'm fine. Thanks

It only took a few seconds for her phone to buzz on the arm of the couch.

Seb: I saw it on the news. Everyone okay?

Lily: Ami has a sprained thumb

...

Seb: Heard you had a concussion

Sebastian let out a small sigh of relief to see nothing worse had happened than what the local news had reported that morning. He'd been anxious since he got the messages from Ian and Jason about Lily's accident and the production being halted. It didn't help that he had to wait the night and half the next day to hear from her that she was alright. It seemed like all they did anymore was fight on set and in the script, and it was wearing him down. It was surprising how much the few words she messaged made him feel better. 

Lily: A little headache. No big deal

Seb: I guess you heard they shut us down for the week

Lily: Heard they might. Ian came to the hospital last night for the studio

Seb: Tentatively scheduled to start again on Monday. If you're up to it.

Seb: Don't rush. They'll wait for you

Lily: Monday should be fine

"Stubborn brat," Sebastian muttered, shaking his head with a small grin. 

He was still for a minute, sitting on the corner of his bed, next to his open suitcase. Sebastian was going home for a few days. With the production shut down and this being the most words Lily had technically said to him all week that weren't scripted, he didn't have anything to do in town to keep himself busy on the unanticipated break. Staring at his dimming phone, he didn't get the impression Lily was too keen to keep the conversation going. Still worried about her, he struggled with pressing his luck with her. He tapped his phone back to life and found his nerve to send what was really on his mind.

Seb: Are you sure everything's okay? The news said

Sebastian stopped typing and deleted the message. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a breath through puffed out cheeks. He opened his phone and scrolled to find Lily's number in his call list, dismayed to find how far down in the list he had to go to find her. He shook his head at how long it'd been since they spoke on the phone and tapped her name to put the call through.

...

Lily missed the sound of her phone buzzing, the soft noise lost under the laughter in the room at Jessica's snide remark about Gabriella being the female Zoolander. When Derek said, "Moisture is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the essence of beauty.”, Jessica bet a thousand dollars that that's what Gabriella's ad campaign would be like, and everyone lost it. Lily felt the vibration of her phone near her elbow and sighed out her laughter as she picked it up to answer, smiling, "Hello?"

...

Sebastian grinned at hearing the happiness in Lily's voice. "Hey, Lil."

"Oh, hey," she said, a clarity seeming to come to her about who she was talking to and Sebastian thought he might be catching her at a bad time. 

"You busy?" he checked, standing up to poke around in his suitcase.

"No," Lily said. "Just, uh, watching a movie with everyone."

"Oh, didn't mean to interrupt," Sebastian apologized. He turned to grab a shirt out of his closet, telling her, "I won't keep you. I just was-" He paused, lost for what to say. "I was calling to make sure you're okay. The news, they said the other driver was drunk, and... Well, it got me thinking about how you lost your mom, and all, and, I know you said you were fine, but it looked like it was a pretty close call last night and-" He sighed, frustrated by his own rambling. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright and you weren't freaked out or anything."

...

Lily blinked, a little surprised by his comments. The only other person to talk about the accident that way was Angela. They'd spent several minutes on the topic during their call earlier that morning. Taking a quick look over her little entourage, Lily got up from the couch and walked into the den, saying, "No. Yeah, I'm fine. It looks worse than it was, that's all."

"It'd be okay, if you were," he assured her. "I mean, I was a little freaked out, when I thought about it, and none of it happened to me."

"It was a little weird," she admitted, sitting down on the edge of the small couch in the room.

"But you're okay, right?" He knew he was repeating himself, but he couldn't help it. "You need anything?"

"No, I'm good," she promised, not exactly comfortable thinking on the subject again. "Got it all out of my system with Ang this morning. Just taking it easy with the gang 'til we go home tomorrow."

"Good," Sebastian agreed. "That's good. You should rest. It'll be nice going home. I'm going back to New York for a few days myself."

...

Sebastian straightened up from tucking some clothes into his luggage, wondering why he mentioned New York and picking up on the pause before Lily said, "That sounds nice."

He winced, concentrating on keeping his tone light, as he agreed, "Yeah. Just a few days to recharge the batteries." He could almost feel the mood on the phone souring, hoping whatever she might be thinking wasn't about Gabriella and silently praying for her name not to come up, adding, "I'm sure you're looking forward to a break, too."

He was relieved when Lily moved on to say, "Yeah, actually, it'll kinda be a working vacation from work."

"What's that mean?" he snorted, flipping his suitcase closed and pulling the zipper around.

...

It was petty, but it was still satisfying to subtly brag. "I've got an interview and shoot for Vanity Fair in a couple days and a journalist from Rolling Stone shadowing me after that. Got a few things coming up, actually. Couple more magazines. Dior wants me back. I don't know," she casually made mention, fully aware of how she was flaunting her success in his face and simultaneously pleased to be showing up his girlfriend.

"No shit?" he mused. "Congratulations. Vanity Fair again? Dior? That's some good stuff."

Lily hummed her reply, as if it were nothing. "No rest for the wicked."

"Hardly wicked," he snorted, and the sound put a fleeting grin in the corner of her mouth. "I won't keep you, Lil. I know you've got people over and I've got to get to the airport. Have a good trip home."

"I will," she nodded to herself, adding a quick, "You, too." before getting off the phone.


	71. Chapter 71

A few photographers had made a lucky guess, or got tipped, about which private airfield she landed at. They were on the other side of a fence, while Lily lighted the steps from the plane to the waiting SUV on the tarmac. Her security had spotted them and called Drew before the plane even touched down. Lily didn't acknowledge them, but she made it a point to freshen up and wear a natural smile before deplaning in view of their lenses. 

At home, Lily had plenty of time to relax before her interview and photoshoot with Vanity Fair. She had made an appointment with her doctor to follow up with her about her concussion, to keep the studio heads calm. They said their concerns were for her health, but Lily knew every day the cameras weren't rolling was costing them plenty of money. But at least they sounded convincing when they wished her well and told her to take her time coming back to work, if she needed to. 

The extra time in LA let her get in touch with the author of her article sooner than expected. Buzz Bissinger had a pleasant and long phone call with Lily. He made an extra trip into LA to meet her at The Restaurant at the the Chateau Marmont for drinks and some conversation ahead of her interview. They were snapped by the paparazzi, leaving the hotel a few hours later. Her conversations with the journalist had put Lily at ease about the busy day coming for her and the magazine. Her writer already had notes to work off from his own research and Lily had elaborated on some things for him. He was already off to a good start.

The morning of the Vanity Fair shoot started early. Angela came over to watch and rub elbows with a couple people from the magazine she knew. Lily was in Hair and Makeup, sipping coffee in a robe while one of the editors went over some details for the day and Buzz sat by taking it all in and taking notes. There were some casual and fun photos taken of the behind the scenes work. They'd be used to tease the upcoming issue and also helped Lily relax. She chatted with Buzz, while he stood out of frame during her photoshoot. The cameras were rolling to edit the event down to a couple minutes of film.

After the photos were done and the videographer was ready to pack it in, Buzz and Lily continued their talk through a late lunch and into dinner at her home, long after the crews had left and it was just them, Angela, and Jessica, waiting in the other room, in case Lily needed anything and to keep an eye on her phone. Their conversation covered everything from Lily's first Hollywood audition when she was 8 to her Walk of Fame ceremony. Lily was surprisingly candid about it all, not waving him away from any topic, not that he wasn't being dignified about any of it. She felt comfortable talking and her interviewer couldn't thank her enough for her candor, promising she was in good hands. 

Lily had pushed back the Rolling Stone interview, since she had extra time to take in LA. She'd take a day for herself, before letting the girl start to tag along. The process for Vanity Fair was fun, but exhausting for Lily, who was still bothered by nuisance headaches. She planned on staying at home and finishing another read through of the potential script Fox had sent over by the pool. She needed to send a message to her agent soon telling her if she was interested in the part. The rest of the day she looked forward to just relaxing by herself and enjoying the quiet of her house.

In New York, Sebastian was a little tense. He'd spent the last couple of days cramming in visits and dinners with his friends, knowing he only had a few stolen days in town. He was headed back to Portland on Sunday, to be on hand in case production started back up as anticipated. Although he felt compelled to check on her, he didn't bother Lily, knowing what she told him about her busy schedule. But he couldn't help wondering how she was doing and it came up in an almost uncontrollable airing of his frustrations over and with Lily to Eddie, as he sat after hours in the dining room of Eddie’s East Village restaurant after parting ways with Will and a few others for a late dinner there.

Eddie poured another glass of wine for himself, as he sat slouched in the booth, nodding along and listening to Sebastian complain about the trouble going on with Gabriella's behavior. Around them, a couple of Eddie's staff were setting tables for the next day's business while others cleaned floors and straightened chairs. While Sebastian sipped Perrier and absentmindedly ate his tiramisu in between rants, Eddie asked questions here and there, helping Sebastian work out his worries, while he poked around his own plate of bits left over from the kitchen.

"Can I be completely honest with you?" Eddie checked.

Sebastian sighed, a little defeated. "Yeah. Please."

"I just don't see it," he shook his head. "Why is Ella even still around?" Seeing Sebastian stiffen a little as he straightened up to say something, Eddie quickly put up a hand, cautioning, "Now, I'm not saying I don't like her. I'm just saying, I've only met her a few times and that's been with a bunch of us hanging out, so, I know, I haven't really had much of a chance or made that much of an effort to get to know her. But, I mean, Lily. Me and the wife, we got to spend that week or so with you guys and the way you've talked about her over the years, I _know_ she's a good person.

"But, Gabriella," Eddie argued, his face scrunching as if something left a sour taste in his mouth, "she's just-" He stopped, shaking his head before trying again. "Okay. She _is_ hot. No doubt. She's got her own thing going on, with the modeling and endorsements and whatever," he waved a hand at it all, "but I always get this feeling hanging out with you guys like she's just there for the wrong reasons. Like, her and her friends, they're all a little upity, I think. It makes it a little weird. I just don't think we all mesh well together."

" _Mesh_ well?" Sebastian repeated, with a snort.

"Shut up," Eddie grimaced. "You know what I mean. Me and the wife, we just get this vibe, like she's kinda using you and-" Sebastian's head lolled to the side and he let out a small groan, and Eddie immediately pointed out in his defense, "You said I could be honest. You can call Lisa, if you don't believe me."

"What's Ella gettin' out of knowing me?" he shook his head.

"You're name's in a lot of places," Eddie reminded him. "You've got a lot of projects going on, Marvel is huge for you, you get invited to a lot of places." Eddie shrugged. "Hell, even Instagram. You're up over a million followers. And now, this movie with Lily... I'm just sayin'. Do the math yourself."

"You think?" Sebastian wondered, his brow wrinkled down at the thought.

Eddie gave a reluctant shrug. "I think so," he nodded. "Look, I know you were having fun at first, and she happened to come along after Lily hooked up with Alex." Sebastian sat back from his lazy lean on the edge of the table, putting down his fork to wipe his hand down over his mouth and turn his eyes up to the ceiling at Eddie's assessment, regardless of how accurate it was. "But how far are you gonna let this go?"

Sebastian folded his arms, as Eddie sat up, carefully pressing, "Man, listen. I'm not trying to piss you off, or anything. But, I think we both know it's true. Lily gets some A-list boyfriend and then bam. Here you are, sleeping with some Swedish supermodel you met at a runway show a couple weeks later. Coincidence?" He cocked his head, knowingly. "I don't think so."

Eddie pointed his finger down into the table, imploring, "Look what's happening." Sebastian looked up from his stare at his plate. "She insulted your friend and has been, somehow, guilting and blaming like somehow it's your fault. Lisa and I decided, after that whole drink throwing thing, we were done with Gabriella. I mean, it's bad enough the stuff people write on their own, but what she's doing? Egging them on and acting like she's all innocent? I don't know if she's insecure, or doing some weird reverse psychology thing to throw it in your face that she knows she's hot, but she just seems so damn needy for compliments. And the way she always turns her nose up when someone mentions Lily and the movie. Maybe she's jealous of Lily, but, frankly, she's a manipulative bitch. And I'm gonna be very disappointed in you, if you don't see it. So, I'm gonna ask again, why is she even still around?"

Sebastian's eyes fell away, slowing shaking his head. His shoulders rose in a helpless shrug, admitting, "I don't know, man."

"Exactly," Eddie gently agreed, sitting back in his seat again. "She's bad news. Whatever tricks she's pulling in bed, there's less crazy chicks out there to blow your mind." He smiled when Sebastian snorted. "But, seriously. This is eating you up. I know it is. The press is out of control with all this stuff about the three of you, you and Lily are barely even friends anymore, and... I just don't see it getting any better, with her around."

"So, what do you think I should do?" Sebastian frowned. "Dump Ella? What do I even say to her?"

"Does she deserve an explanation?" Eddie suggested. "She shouldn't be surprised, the way she's been carrying on."

Sebastian gave a humorless chuckle and shook his head. "It'll be messy," he decided. "I can already imagine it."

"Don't let her play you anymore," Eddie encouraged. "Enough is enough, man. You're stressed the fuck out, walking on eggshells with her... What are you going to do if she finds out you've been talking to Lily after you told her you were done?"

"She was in an accident, for fuck's sake," Sebastian argued, flipping up a hand. "Her mom died getting hit by a drunk driver, when she was barley 18, and then Lil-"

"She's not gonna give a shit," he shook his head, condescendingly assuring him. "She's just gonna play that same sad song about you not loving her because she's not pretty enough, or what the hell ever, when the _truth_ is, you don't love her because she's not Lily. And the fact that she's a conniving bitch. But seriously, do yourself a favor and get rid of her before you get stuck any deeper." Eddie put out his hand, flipping his fingers into his palm. "Here," he insisted. "Gimme your phone. I'll dump her for you, right now."

Sebastian chuckled, putting his hand over his phone on the table, just in case Eddie made a play for it. "No. Thanks."

"When's she come back?" Eddie asked, taking his hand back for a drink of wine.

"Tomorrow," Sebastian nodded.

"Do it tomorrow," Eddie nodded, lifting his glass to him. "Just pack up anything she's got over at your place and throw it out the door behind her. You'll feel better. And maybe you can make up being an asshole to Lily and she'll let you talk to her again."

"Shut up," Sebastian smirked, a little embarrassed. "I'll do it tomorrow."

Sebastian took Eddie's advice. He took a slow walk around his place, looking for anything that belonged to Gabriella. He gathered everything on a corner of the dining table. It wasn't much, a few accessories and a sweatshirt, but it made him nervous whenever he walked by it. Gabriella's flight landed in the afternoon. He expected her there that evening. She'd said she missed him and wasn't going to waste the extra couple of days he had before having to go back to the set.

Just before 6 o'clock, Gabriella sent a message saying she was on her way. His heart was racing, pressing the buzzer to let her in to the building. He knew there was about to be a fight. Gabriella wasn't one to not cause a scene, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad, because she didn't have an audience. Sebastian took a moment to give himself a pep talk, reminding himself not to be manipulated by her again, before he opened the door to her knock.

Gabriella smiled, happily throwing her arms around Sebastian, as soon as the door was opened. Caught off guard, Sebastian gave her a quick hug back, catching his balance again and stepping aside for her to pull her suitcase in with her. Sebastian shut the door, oblivious to Gabriella's grumbling about how busy the airport was.

"What's this?" she asked, spotting her things on the table and turning around to face him.

Sebastian inclined his head to the table, casually pointing out, "It's your stuff."

"I know it is," she said, with an uncomfortable smile pinned on her face. "What's it doing here?"

"I thought it'd be easier," he suggested, pocketing his hands, as he slowly walked into the living room from the door, "if it were all in one place."

"What would be were easier?" she pressed, her jaw tightening as she tried to keep some semblance of a grin in place.

"We're done, Ella," he nodded to himself. "I don't think we should see each other anymore."

Gabriella's lips closed, angrily pursing. "Are you joking?"

Sebastian shook his head, his brow rising, earnestly. "No," he told her, "I'm not. I've been doing some thinking and I've had enough. I'm not playing your little game anymore."

"Is this because your precious Lily had that accident?" she frowned. "You're going to go run after her now?"

" _Je_ sus," he groaned, rolling his eyes. "Just stop with the Lily bullshit. Not everything is about her. This is about you and me. I'm sick of the arguing and the pettiness."

"I haven't even been in town five minutes," she scoffed, "and this-"

"It doesn't matter," he told her. "Five minutes or five hours, I'd be telling you the same thing."

"You wouldn't be saying this if you hadn't gotten that movie with that trifling woman," Gabriella seethed.

"Yeah," Sebastian insisted, confidently, "I would. I'm tired of this. The way you manipulate people and guilt them. The way you do it to me." 

"Wha-?"

"Oh, come on," Sebastian grimaced. "How many times did you make me feel bad for even just liking something on Instagram? Or when we-"

"Ever since you went to LA to rehearse for that stupid movie and-"

"What the hell does that have to-"

"Everyone has been writing about you and Lily-"

"There's no me and Lily!" Sebastian yelled, not that they hadn't been working each other there, cutting each other off every other word. He flipped an angry hand. "Christ, are you _blind_? She's been seeing Alex Mattis for months! He's a great guy. They're very happy. When the hell has there been time for me?!"

"Pick a trip back to LA," she hotly dared.

"For f-" Sebastian stopped, dropping his shaking head. "Enough, Ella! I never cheated on you, with Lily or anyone else. This 'poor me' routine doesn't work anymore. I'm sick of it."

"Oh, but if they were writing stories about me cheating on _you_ -"

"Then I'd listen to you and we'd figure it out," he promised, "instead of accusing you and throwing it in your face every five minutes." He shook his head, explaining, "Look, you've obviously got some trust issues, or it's all part of some game or whatever. Either way, I don't want to be a part of it anymore."

"Where's this coming from?" she pressed. "I thought we were-"

Putting up a hand to interrupt her, he cut in, "You thought wrong, okay? It was fun for awhile, but I just can't have this kind of  bullshit in my life."

"Did we ever mean anything to you?" Gabriella asked, with a small tremor in her lip.

Sebastian exhaled, his lips pulling back into a tight frown. He raised and dropped his hands, in a helpless shrug, admitting, "Not the way I think you wanted it to. Sorry."

"I knew it," she pouted, pursing her lips and wiping a finger at her eye.

"Look," he sighed, wiping a hand down his face. "I think you got what you wanted out of it, so let's not waste time with the fake tears, okay?” He moved back to the door, pulling it open. “You got your fifteen minutes, at Lily's and my expense, so let's not push it. Just-“ Sebastian paused, exhausted by the back and forth. “Get your shit, and get the fuck out,” he tiredly told her, gesturing a hand for her to go.

Gabriella straightened up, miraculously no longer on the verge of tears. "You're pathetic," she decided. "Chasing after some dime-a-dozen actress who doesn't even want you, when you could have me. Well, I hope you're happy," she huffed, scooping up her things. "Now you have neither."

"Whatever," he groused, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.

"I bet you can't wait to call and beg her forgiveness," Gabriella seethed. "To beg for her to talk to you again. You won't even wait til I'm out the door."

"You know what?" Sebastian glared, watching her fumble in her anger to open her suitcase and tuck away her belongings. "I actually never stopped talking to her."

Gabriella paused to shoot him an offended look. She stood up from her luggage, tucking her hair back behind her ear. "She won't leave him for you," she sharply reminded him. "He's a bigger star than you'll ever be."

"I wouldn't want her to," he swept his head, "because she's happy with him. And I'm happy just knowing her and knowing she's happy, whether or not I catch a break like he did. There's more to life than fame, Ella.“

She gave him a derisive snort and turned on her heel for the door. He watched her leave, not even offering her a goodbye. Gabriela slammed the door shut behind her and Sebastian let out the last breath he'd taken.

"Fuckin' hell," he muttered, raking his fingers into his hair and giving it a short tug.

Walking over to the door, he threw the locks closed and sighed. His apartment was quiet and he felt like a weight lifted off of him. Shuffling into the kitchen, Sebastian took his phone from his pocket and sent a message to Eddie, simply saying "I did it".

Eddie immediately replied with an invitation to celebrate. Sebastian kicked around the idea for a minute, debating whether or not Gabriella would say something about their split to the press and how it would look if he got paped out with his friends, having a good time, immediately after. He almost said no, but then changed his mind, thinking of how he hadn't had a proper night out with just his friends alone since meeting Gabriella. He was in.


	72. Chapter 72

"Tell me you don't feel better," Eddie dared him, smacking the back of his hand into Sebastian's arm.

Laughing, a bit embarrassed, Sebastian admitted, "I do, yeah."

"See?" his friend smiled. "That wasn't so hard. I don't know why you waited so long.”

"I don't know," he groaned, his head lolling to the side, his eyes set on the corner of the label on his beer that he was rolling down with his thumb.

Out for dinner with Eddie and a couple more friends, Sebastian felt a little self-conscious about the earlier part of his evening. He knew it was the right thing to do. Gabriella was toxic. He could feel the air around him was lighter now, but he still felt bad for any feelings he may have hurt. Who was he to say whether or not she had any real feelings or was just using him like his friends had worried? After all, the relationship, however short, started out well enough. Feeling a little guilty or not, he knew he had made the right decision.

"So, how you gonna make it up to Lily?" Will asked, absentmindedly twirling the thin straw in his drink. He looked around the table, smartly wondering, "What kind of flower says 'I fucked up, like, really, _really_ bad'?"

Sebastian's eyes went wide and his brow rose at the question. He blew a breath out of his puffed cheeks, shaking his head. He didn't have a ready answer and, honestly, he didn't know where to begin. Lily wasn't just mad. He figured at the very least she was hurt, insulted, and embarrassed by everything that had happened, or rather didn’t, as the case may be. Sending flowers wouldn't exactly cover it.

"I don't know," he helplessly shrugged. "She's been through a lot, lately."

"You should'a said something awhile ago," Will gently pointed out. "Like, even just one comment through your publicist could've changed this."

"How?" Lisa frowned, waving a hand up into the air. "She had him by the balls." She pointed a finger at Sebastian, noting, "Although, one well placed comment on Instagram probably would've sent her reeling and maybe she would have dumped _you_."

"And give up this prime Romanian beef?" Eddie scoffed, pinching Sebastian's cheek, before he was swatted away. "Nah," he shook his head, proudly smiling at the shyness in Sebastian's grin, "she'd have never let him go."

"Succubus," Will confidently declared, hoisting his drink.

"Yes! Succubus," Lisa agreed, with an emphatic nod.

"Start with an apology," Eddie told him. "A _real_ one, not one in the middle of an argument."

"Exactly," Sebastian agreed. 

"Flowers may not be a bad thought," Lisa suggested. "It's cliché, but girls like flowers. What's her favorite flower?"

Sebastian's nose scrunched, his shoulders rising in an exaggerated shrug. "Fuck. I don't know."

"Come on!" she scolded. 

“Who would know something like that?” he begged, putting his hands up helplessly.

”Wait,” Lisa directed, putting up a finger for Sebastian’s attention before pointing it at her husband. She turned to Eddie, inquiring, “What’s my favorite flower?”

”Petunias,” he confidently answered.

”Whyyy?” she pressed, with a pleased smile.

”Because they’re as adorable as it’s fun to say and they don’t get enough love,” Eddie recited.

”Uh-huh,” Sebastian roiled his eyes. “You’re married. Of course he’d know that.”

”You should know this,” she maintained, “if she’s you’re best friend.”

"What?" he laughingly whined, holding up his open palms. "How would that ever come up?" Sebastian considered, "I guess I've sent her roses a few times. Maybe those?" He perked up, remembering, "I sent her stargazer lilies when she got her Walk of Fame star. She liked those."

"That's funny," Eddie nodded. "I get it."

"I have to do everything myself," Lisa muttered, picking her phone out of her purse.

Will leaned over to rest his head on Lisa's shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Cheating," Eddie said. "Googling."

"I'm not Googling," she frowned, and the jolt in Eddie said Lisa had kicked him under the table, much to Sebastian's amusement. "I'm looking at her Instagram."

"Still sounds like cheating," Sebastian winked at Eddie.

Lisa stuck her tongue out at him, explaining, "Google, Insta- it's all valid research."

She probably didn't know how much of everyone's attention she had, with the guys at the table watching her in silent curiosity of what she'd come up with. Sebastian strained his neck and bared his teeth, exaggerating his impatience, as he begged, "Well?!"

Snickering, Lisa held up a finger for them to wait and Sebastian slumped dramatically against the back of the booth, while Will cried, "The wait is killing me!"

"How about these?" she offered, after a couple minutes. "She doesn't have many pics of bouquets or say too much, but these... She must have really liked these."

Lisa's phone was passed around, reaching Sebastian last. He gave a nod, remembering, "Oh, I gave her those." He handed Lisa her phone back. "Yeah, they were birthday flowers."

"Why'd you pick those?" Will asked, with a small scrunch in his nose, looking confused.

"We were wandering around," Sebastian recalled, taking the cherry off the garnish of Lisa's drink and popping it into his mouth, in spite of her disapproving scowl, "her last real trip out here, a few years ago. Ended up at the Flower District. They had the most ridiculous name for a flower and I was making fun of it, but she was on this kick about how great they were. So," he shrugged, "I sent her some for her birthday the next month, as like a joke." He shook his head, reaching to the middle of the table to take another meatball slider from the collection of appetizers in front of them. "Stupidest name for a flower."

"What is it?" Eddie asked, his eyes squinted at the photo on his wife's phone.

"Dinnerplate dahlias," Sebastian answered, chuckling around his mouthful of food. "Those white ones? They're called Ice Cube. You believe that? Who comes up with this?"

"Well," Lisa noted, "those are her favorite."

"How do you know?" Eddie asked.

Reading from the post, Lisa said, "There's some kind of poetry in a dahlia a day. Even if you don't get it. #youroddsgoup #theyrebeautiful #notdumb #noyoureridiculous #bestblooms #spoiled #happybirthdaytome."

“What kind of hashtag is “your odds go up”?” Eddie frowned. 

”See, because she said there’s so many petals,” Sebastian explained, “that if you picked a petal every time you-“

”He loves me. He loves me not,” Lisa sang.

”Exactly,” Sebastian nodded. “You get more chances for the guy to love you, she said.”

”That’s it then,” Lisa confirmed. “Dahlias. Period.”

"How do you figure?" Will pressed.

"She literally sasses him in the hashtags," Lisa pointed out. "Fifty bucks says she actually said those tags to you." Sebastian nodded in confirmation, as he ate. "She clearly loved the arrangement. It's the only post for flowers from that day, and you know someone like her got a shit ton of flowers sent to her for her birthday. But _yours_ got their own post and you're obviously the one she's talking to in it, with the whole "even if you don't get it" thing. Besides, she barely types more than a fluffy thank you on the few other flower posts she's ever put up, but these she was practically gushing over. Ergo, favorite flower."

”Your odds go up,” Eddie considered, giving a shrug of agreement.

"Seems legit," Will conceded. 

"Right," Sebastian determinedly nodded, "so, first thing in the morning, I send her $10,000 worth of dahlias."

"It'd be a small step in the right direction," Lisa teased. 

"I got to tell ya, Lily," Mark beamed, ahead of his sip of mimosa. "I'm really excited about this."

"That good?" she nervously wondered, poking at the small dish of fruit beside her plate with her fork.

"It's going to be everything we were hoping for," he promised. "Are you sure you don't want to see it now?"

Lily swept a hand across the front of her, giving a firm shake of her head, as she chewed. "No. Not while we're out. Just in case."

"It's fantastic," Carolyn assured her. "You're going to be very pleased. And that's just a preview."

"He really wrote it already?" Lily wondered, reaching for her coffee.

"Well," Mark shrugged, wiping at the corner of his mouth with his napkin, "it's mostly done, he says. Besides being on such a tight deadline, Buzz said he was really excited to get on it. Said he started after he met you at the Marmont the other day. I'm telling you, it's going to be amazing."

"Okay," Lily nodded, hoping it was going to work out the way they promised.

"Now," Carolyn began, "about the rest of our proposals. I've sent a reply back to Fox, expressing your interest in the script. I'll let you know how that progresses. As for the advertising deals, have you given either of them any thought?"

"How do the deals look?" Lily checked.

"The money's there, for both of them, respective to their offers," her agent assured her. "Dior is looking for a full campaign, print and television, for a two year contract. So, that makes Dior a long run win for exposure and paydays." Carolyn held up a finger to note, "But what I really like about it is they want to option runway appearances, in addition to the media campaigns for the fragrance line, at a bonus."

"I'm not a runway model," Lily meekly argued, immediately feeling a passing wave of nervous heat in her cheeks at the thought of walking in a fashion show.

"You've got a face and a figure anybody would sell their souls for," Carolyn assured her. "Trust me. You can fake your way through strutting up and down a catwalk once or twice a year. Maybe at a Fashion Week." Lily tittered, hiding her shyness under the shade of her hand over her eyes. "They don't want just another model, Lily. They want the looks _and_ the recognition from your fame. And if you like it," her agent shrugged, "maybe we parley it into a new line on your resumé."

"If you say so," Lily shook her head. Although she'd be lying if she said the idea of upstaging Gabriella in her own backyard wasn't appealing to the devil on her shoulder.

Drew chauffeured Lily home from brunch with her team. Everyone was still being protective of her, despite her assurances that she was feeling much better after the crash. But Lily didn't mind the company, and she knew Drew didn't mind driving the Maserati. While he drove, Lily scrolled through her phone, looking for the email Mark had forwarded her while they ate. She tapped open the attachment of the Vanity Fair article's preview and nervously bit down on her thumbnail as she started to read.

_"Talking to Lily Benjamin makes it easy to forget being in the presence of greatness. Don't believe me, you say? Try sitting down with her for drinks at Chateau Marmont and tell me at the end of it you can still remember she's worth over $170 million dollars cash and she's been the biggest, most bankable name, in Hollywood for the last ten years._

_Okay, you'll still stare at that million dollar smile and know that the Maserati she pulled up in cost more than your house. And you'll be intimidated by the doberman in a suit that heads up her personal security and is watching from a few seats away but close enough to remind you, or anyone else, not to touch. His name is Drew, by the way. But trust me, you'll be too distracted by her genuineness and humility to recall that she literally has won every award for acting but one. And, if you listen to the talk of the town, that little gold bastard isn't far out of reach. From Broadway to the big screen, Lily Benjamin has been unstoppable._

_Her films have made over $3 billion dollars world wide and she has her own star on the Walk of Fame...and she's barely 33 years old. Lily is on the top of every major studio's Christmas list, hoping for a bit of her luck to rub off on them. But somehow, Lily might be the most humble actress of her stature I have ever met. For two days, she shies away from comparisons to leading lady legends when you try to talk about her success, thinking herself outclassed. But when guys like Redford, Hackman, De Niro, Affleck, Hanks, Streep, and Winslet, just to name a few, sing your praises, that speaks volumes to the kind of class Lily finds herself in, even if she's trying to stay grounded. And yeah, Lily Benjamin is grounded._

_That bodyguard I mentioned? Drew, the guy who could probably kill a man just by looking at him the right way. Lily calls him by his first name and she lets him call her by hers. She tells me she even went to his wedding last month. She's got a small handful of friends who've been with her for years and she says some of the best nights she's ever had have been staying in or just going to the beach with them, and not, oh, say, the night she won her_ first _Golden Globe._

 _And yet, Lily Benjamin is as exquisite in person as she is on film. Someone once said of her, she has a "grace and elegance that would bring Old Hollywood to its knees in front of her", and they were right. As beautiful as any jewel, poised and intelligent, charming and witty. She's mesmerizing, in every way. And I'm going to tell you about them all._ _"_

"You okay?" Drew checked, glancing over, as they slowed to a stop at a red light.

"Yeah," Lily nodded, taking her nail from her teeth and her worry dissolving to a hopeful grin. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna be."

Lily didn’t finish reading the next page of the rough draft of her article. She’d seen enough. She felt confident that Vanity Fair would treat her as well as they promised. In fact, she was kind of looking forward to the publication next month, almost excited. It’d been a long time since she was optimistic about any written press about her. Journalists were manipulated, but not easy to control sometimes. Gossip was always more lucrative than truth, unless the truth was already sensational. Tips and exclusives didn’t always tempt writers to the right side of things, and that sad fact kept Lily from saying many things on her own behalf for the last several years.

There was a refinement to Buzz and the Vanity Fair team though. Lily wasn’t so sure about the professionalism and experience she’d get with the writer from Rolling Stone who was going to follow her back to Portland. She knew she’d most likely have to be on her best behavior and try to think before she spoke. The Rolling Stone idea didn’t strike her as being a conversation, like she’d had with Buzz. Lily figured she was more likely to slip up in the more spontaneous style encounter and would have to be on guard. But she was still ready to participate and be available. She understood how helpful the different kinds of exposure could be and promised herself she would try and have fun with it.


	73. Chapter 73

Lily met the reporter from Rolling Stone, Perri, late Saturday afternoon. The girl looked young, but had an impressive collection of writing for her resumé. Jessica had done some research on her, so Lily had an idea of what to expect. The reporter fit the bill for the magazine. Trendy clothes, a couple well-placed facial piercings, and a smile as bright as her bleached blonde hair.

Perri was welcome anywhere on set that Lily was, with some obvious restrictions while filming took place. She had a room booked at Lily’s hotel and Lily and her people had agreed for the actress to be available most waking hours. It wouldn’t be the first time Lily had had a reporter following her so closely, but it had been awhile and she was feeling a little guarded lately, especially for everything that had been going on.

To ease into it, the girl tagged along with Lily and Angela for cocktails and dinner with a couple of their friends, before Lily was back on a plane to Portland the next morning. In the car on the way to dinner, they casually chatted about what their schedule would be like together for the next few of days. Perri seemed alright. Angela sent a text to Lily before she went to bed, telling her she got a “good vibe” from the reporter and saying that she thought the next few days of them together was going to work out fine.

Back in her Portland hotel room, Lily was met by a few vases of fresh flowers from studio big wigs, and other people with investments in the production, welcoming her back to work. Lily showed the reporter around the living areas of her two story suite and shyly nodded along to some compliments the girl had for how well Lily seemed to get along with the people who worked for her. It struck her while she watched Lily and her small entourage debate late dinner options, she had said. Perri mentioned, of the few celebrities she’d done this style of writing with, both musicians and actors, none of them seemed to have the same comfortable rapport with “the help”. Lily explained everyone around her had been with her for years now and she treated them like family because they did the same for her. Perri was impressed. 

Alex texted Lily while everyone was just cleaning up from the takeout dinner Brandon and Jessica had gone to grab for them all. Of course, Lily casually answered Perri’s question of what had her smiling. Lily told the writer who she was texting with and made some easy dismissal of the messaging, saying he was just seeing how her flight was. Lily was really smiling because Alex had written, “This is me texting so the Rolling Stone writer sees us texting. Would you like to text with me?”

They exchanged messages back and forth, for a few minutes. Alex was just starting his day at work and was being driven to set. He had been checking in daily since the car crash to see how Lily was doing. He asked how she was again today and about her trip back to Portland. She updated that everything was fine and the trip had been good. He told her to sleep well and she told him to have a good day at work. Perri asked a couple of innocent enough questions about Alex and Lily answered politely. The PR plan to manage their split in the public view was officially moving along.

Lily was in touch, both personally and through her reps, with the studio about starting work again on Monday. Producers and execs knew she was back in town and Ian, and a couple other higher ups, wanted to be sure Lily should be working, lest they end up having to delay production again for any reason related to her health. They had managed to get a local doctor to see Lily and reassess her concussion. Sunday morning had Lily sneaking in an employee entrance on the side of the hospital for her exam. The reporter tagging along commented about how it was kind of thrilling to sneak around to try and avoid the press, noting she’d never had the experience before and how she’d never really considered some of the steps people of Lily’s stature had to go through for a little privacy. Lily was cleared for work, with some precautionary restrictions recommended that would shorten her working days for at least another week and keep her on set for and at reasonable hours. It wasn’t exactly what the studio was hoping for, but Ian assured everyone on the conference call that they could retool the schedule and make it work. Before they all got off the phone, Lily was told they would push her call time back to 10 a.m. on Monday.

Lily spent the rest of Sunday back at her suite, relaxing with her companions and chatting with Perri. All in all, the journalist had been pretty conservative with her questions. They discussed Lily’s upcoming media commitments and how she balanced work and her private life. Once things turned personal, she was waiting for the inevitable. She did give Perri credit for how long she waited to ask though and for getting her permission.

”Can I ask about the whole Holmes-Benjamin thing?” she checked. 

“You make it sound like the main event on a fight card,” Lily chuckled, turning into the kitchen to get a bottle of water from the refrigerator. She called back to ask Perri if she wanted anything and the girl declined. “But,” Lily shrugged, coming back into the living room, “I guess everyone’s kind of making it out to be that way.”

”Pretty much,” Perri conceded, with a tilted grin, as if she were almost embarrassed to be talking about it. “Anything we haven’t heard about it?”

”Besides the truth?” Lily smirked, twisting open the cap of her drink.

The reporter laughed. “Yeah, besides that.”

Lily smiled, swallowing her drink. “It’s not as interesting as it sounds,” she promised. “That was actually the only time I’ve met her or that we’d spoken. We don’t know each other.” She tipped her head, admitting, “I mean, I knew _of_ her. She’s dating Sebastian, so he’d told me about her. And I’ve seen her face from some of her modeling work, magazines and stuff.”

”What’d you think of her?”

She took a moment to consider, before answering, ”She’s shorter than I expected.”

Perri snickered. “They wear a lot of high heels on the runway.”

Lily sputtered into her drink, but didn’t spill a drop. “Very true,” she smiled.

”Didn’t see it coming?” Perri asked.

Giving a firm, slow sweep of her head, Lily said, “Not a clue. I was as surprised as anyone else.”

”Did she say why?”

”Honestly, the whole thing was over pretty quickly,” she shook her head. “She was asked to leave, right away. We didn’t talk. But I figured out why pretty quick. I mean, all of a sudden, everyone was talking about it. I guess, I was too busy to pay attention.” Lily shrugged. “I usually don’t pay attention to the gossip sites and stuff. Apparently, I can’t say the same for her.”

Perri nodded along, wondering, “Was it worth it? Was she right to be angry?”

Lily sighed, giving a half-roll of her eyes. “No,” she assured her. “We’re both dating other people. We’d never spoken to each other before. We don’t know anyone in common, but Sebastian.” Lily shook her head. “I don’t know what she was thinking.”

”For attention?” the reporter offered.

”She certainly got some, after that,” Lily agreed. “Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t want to start another fight by speculating or accusing anyone of anything or having shady motives. I’d just as soon forget about it. I don’t plan on hanging out with her anytime soon.”

“Do you think that you’ll run into her again?” Perri asked. “I mean, she is dating your costar. Maybe when it’s time to start promoting the movie?”

”Yeah,” Lily reluctantly accepted. “Probably will. But I think I’ll be okay if I just stay out of throwing distance.”

Perri laughed, agreeing, “Or take an umbrella, just in case.”

”Good idea,” Lily nodded. 

“Think she’ll ever apologize?”

”No,” she shrugged. “And I don’t need her to. I’m done with the whole thing. It happened. That’s all there is to it. Just a misunderstanding. No sensational backstory. And, frankly, I can’t wait for everyone to forget about the whole thing.”

Taking the high road sounded quite natural and comfortable coming from her mouth, but it still gave Lily an uneasy tug in her gut. Part of Lily still wanted to get some kind of revenge on Gabriella for all the embarrassment and trouble she caused. She was proud of herself though, for apparently coming off so convincingly disinterested in the subject that Perri didn’t stay on it for very long. The journalist was thinking ahead to award season, bringing up the buzz about Lily’s performance in her most recently released movie, and Lily was relieved to be moving on.

Lily was still up early on Monday. Up so early in fact that she was up and having breakfast with Drew by 7, having sent him a text that she was awake. The others were still sleeping, but Lily knew Drew was already up and had probably already hit the hotel gym or gone for a run by the time she messaged. Over their coffee at the end of their room service meal, he checked to see how things were going with the reporter. 

“Surprisingly well,” Lily admitted. “I like her. She’s not too pushy. She gets around to what she wants pretty naturally.”

”You ready to go back to work?” he wondered, moving his napkin from his lap to set on the table and slouch comfortably in his seat.

Lily shrugged. “No time like the present,” she smirked, sending him a wink over the side of her mug as she drank.

He grinned, and told her, “Let me know if you need a little more space, or anything today.”

”Should be fine,” she smiled, appreciatively.

On set, Lily was welcomed back, warmly, by everyone. There were flowers waiting for her in her trailer, when she finally made it inside after wading her way through a sea of greetings and hugs on her way from the car through the trailers to check in with her director. She introduced Perri to a few key people, reminding them that she was going to be with her for a few days. On her way to the wardrobe trailer, Lily crossed paths with Sebastian.

”Lil! Hey,” he called, giving her a wave as she came closer. Sebastian stopped to wait, hoping that she wouldn’t just walk by him. She was walking just behind Drew’s shoulder and Sebastian couldn’t read anything from Drew about whether or not he should expect to be brushed off again. He subconsciously bit the side of his lip into his teeth in anticipation.

”Good morning,” Lily smiled, stopping to meet him.

Whether or not she meant to be, or if it was just because Drew had moved aside to let her see Sebastian when she responded to him, Lily was close enough to touch. Even if the invitation wasn't there, the opportunity was, and Sebastian seized it, taking a step in to give Lily a hug. She allowed it, although he could feel a kind of awkward rigidness in her frame when she hugged him back. It was the closest he had been to her in weeks, that wasn’t scripted, but he kept the hug respectfully short.

He stepped back, giving her a once over and saying, “You look good. Feeling alright?”

”Yeah,” Lily nodded. Not wanting to dwell on it and needing to shake off the nervousness she’d gotten from his hug, she turned and presented her shadow with an open palm, introducing, “This is Perri, from Rolling Stone.”

Perri stuck out her hand, eagerly meeting Sebastian’s for a good shake. “Hi. Big fan,” she smiled.

”She’s hanging out with us the next couple days,” Lily went on.

”Right, yeah,” he nodded, pointing at Lily when he recalled, “You said something about that the other day.” He looked to the reporter, a discerning squint in one eye, checking, “She been nice?”

”Oh, yeah,” Perri nodded, with a confident smile. “It’s been great. Lots of fun. First class, all the way.”

”That’s Benny for ya,” Sebastian beamed, tucking his hands in the pockets of his jeans. 

“Benny?” Perri repeated, with a grin to Lily.

”He’s the only one who calls me that,” Lily noted, as an aside.

”We need to get going,” Jessica gently chimed in, from behind Lily. “We’re a couple minutes behind, from everything this morning.”

”Sorry. Yeah,” Sebastian excused, sidestepping out of her way. “I’ll see you in a bit.” He grinned at Perri, shaking her hand again and saying, “Nice to meet you. See you around.”

Lily lifted and dropped her hand in a small wave, as he walked around her group to head toward his trailer. She continued on to Wardrobe to get her day started. Perri commented how Sebastian seemed nice and asked if he was really as sweet as everyone always made him out to be. Lily nodded, assuring her he was. 

In his trailer, Sebastian was on his phone to Eddie, as soon as the door shut, complaining, “She’s got that reporter with her. I forgot about that. What do I do?”

There was an unintelligible sound as Eddie yawned. “Don’t call me freakin’ out at 5:30 in the morning?” he tiredly suggested. “How ‘bout that?”

“Shit, man,” Sebastian winced, looking at the clock on the wall. “I’m sorry. But, what am I supposed to do with a reporter in her pocket 24/7?” he begged.

”Don’t do anything,” Eddie told him. “Feel her out. See how it goes. She’s gonna play nice in front of strangers, right? So, just, ya know, either take that out for a spin or leave her alone for a bit and try talkin’ to her when she’s alone again.”

”I don’t know how long that’s gonna be,” he realized, pausing his anxious pacing in the middle of the living area of his trailer. "She said a couple days, but is that just 2 days? 3?"

”Well, then...” Eddie helplessly trailed off. “I don’t know. You want me to wake up the wife and ask?”

”No,” Sebastian grimaced, despite knowing he’d probably get better advice from her. 

“Did you send the flowers?” 

“No,” he sighed. “I was gonna wait til I knew she was definitely coming back. They kinda have, like, an A/B plan for the shooting schedule so they can get some things done with me, even if she’s not here, just in case she didn’t make it in today.”

”Okay,” Eddie acknowledged. “Okay. That’s probably good.” He paused, before he checked, “So, you’ve seen her today already?”

”Yeah,” Sebastian nodded. “Yeah, that’s how I knew she had that reporter with her, remember?”

”Right. Yeah. Sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t get to bed ‘til late. I’ve got it straight now. Okay.” Sebastian heard him deeply inhale. “Okay, so _don’t_ do the flowers or anything. Just...be nice and, maybe with the reporter there, she’ll be a little nicer and you can kinda talk to her, or something.”

”Do I tell her about me an’ Gabriella splitting up?” Sebastian worried.

”No,” Eddie emphatically said, the question seeming to finally wake him up. “Don't talk about her anywhere _near_ the reporter. Don’t even say her name. It’s not about you being single again, anyway. You two are fighting because you’re a pussy when it comes to women and conflict.”

”Thanks a lot asshole,” he frowned.

”But I’m sayin’ that with a lot of looove,” Eddie assured him. “You’re too nice of a guy, man,” he explained. “You feel so bad telling anyone “no” and you sure as shit don’t like being the bad guy in a split."

”He’s too nice,” Sebastian heard Lisa’s muffled and sleepy voice. “He’s a sweetheart...and it bites him in the ass.”

”See?” Eddie insisted. “D’ya hear that?”

”Fine,” he conceded. “Fuck you both.”

”That’s better,” Eddie chuckled. “There’s our tough little guy.”

”Would ya stop?” Sebastian complained, shading his hand over his eyes. “Cah’mon, man.”

”Alright,” he groused. “I’m done. But I’m right, too. Be patient.”

”Patient,” Sebastian repeated. “Yeah. Fine. Be patient. Got it.”


	74. Chapter 74

Two days later, Perri and Jessica were being shuttled to the airport by Ami. Perri’s scheduled time with Lily was up and Jessica was on her way home to set up for Architectural Digest’s photoshoot of Lily’s recently remodeled house. They’d pushed the shoot back, just in case Lily needed more time at home for herself after the crash. The magazine had been more than kind in offering their patience for a reschedule. Perri had been delighted by the whole experience with Lily, gushing over how well Lily and her people had treated her and how enlightening the project had been for her. Perri had said it was everything a fan could dream of for an A-list encounter and offered Lily to let her know any time she was interested in speaking with Rolling Stone again. She’d be more than happy to help.

During the lunch break, Sebastian purposefully bumped elbows with Lily, coming up beside her at the craft services area. “Where’s your shadow?” he wondered. “She get scared off by your dog?”

”Tried using soap, but she just wouldn’t stick,” Lily grinned, with a helpless shrug, playing along at his Peter Pan joke.

Sebastian grinned, proudly, for his reference coming through. He nodded along, as Lily explained that Perri had gone back to Los Angeles. “So, how’d it go?” he checked. “She seemed pretty cool.”

”She was,” Lily agreed, stepping back from the table after closing the lid on her box of food. “Seemed alright. Guess I’ll see how it really went, when it goes to print.”

Lily had began to turn like she was going to leave, but Sebastian piped up, not wanting to let her go when it seemed she was finally talking to him again. “You worried she’s gonna write something bad?” he asked, grabbing a fork from the tray of plastic ware.

Balancing herself on both feet again, after stopping mid-stride when he'd spoken up, Lily shrugged, wagging up her brow to say, “I hope not.”

”What could she say that’s bad about you?” he mused, with a genuine wrinkle of doubt in his brow.

”You don’t get to be a working writer ‘cause you’re not creative,” Lily reasoned. “There’s always something to twist.”

Sebastian looked at her with a frown, grabbing a bottle of water from the selection of drinks on the table next to him. “I’m sure she loved you,” he confidently told her. “Your publicist wouldn’t let someone follow you around for a couple days if they didn’t think it was going to be good for you, right?”

Lily nodded her acceptance of his reasoning. “True.” The crowd at the tables to make their lunch was still pretty heavy and Lily held up her box of food, as a kind of shrug, saying, “Well, see you after lunch.”

”Yeah,” he nodded once, giving her a grin. “See ya.”

They stepped around each other, going in opposite directions.

In a way, Sebastian was sorry to see the magazine writer go. Besides that the girl really was alright, having her around meant having access to Lily was easier. There was a little more space around Lily from her bodyguards on set. He figured it had more to do with them not wanting to intimidate Perri or give the impression that Lily was paranoid to need them right on top of her than it was because Lily really was actually more accessible now, but he’d take it either way.

Their talks weren’t too in depth or involved, mostly about work and everyday pleasantries. He was allowed to hang around on breaks between filming, eavesdropping or adding a comment here or there as the situation dictated. He didn’t want to overstep bounds on Lily’s interview by saying too much, but he was grateful for any minutes he and Lily were being cordial. He’d have to wait and see if the circle closed in on Lily again, after Perri left.

The stars ran in to each other at the end of the evening in the Wardrobe trailer. Sebastian took the chance to joke, “Hey, by the way, thanks for getting that concussion and takin’ one for the team. These shorter shooting days are really nice. I feel like I actually get a chance to relax after work, ya know?”

From her spot in the small changing area, Lily rolled her eyes, brightly replying loud enough for him to be able to hear, “Glad I could help. Let me know if you need any more time off and want me to step out in front of a bus, or anything else, okay?”

Sebastian snickered. “I appreciate the thought, but I think you’ve done enough for now. Maybe later, huh?” he grinned, when she stepped back out into the open space of the trailer.

Lily rolled her eyes, passing her things off to the costume mistress and shaking her head at Sebastian. “Maybe,” she allowed, with a smirk, siding past him to take a seat and slip on her shoes.

Sebastian looked around for anything to do. He was ready to go, but didn’t want to miss out on Lily’s good mood and was desperate for any distraction for a delay. Without one, he just blurted out, “You wanna get dinner?”

Lily paused, her fingers slowly finishing the knot on her low top Chucks, before she straightened up. “You mean, now?” she stalled, more than a little thrown by the offer, considering how, frankly, awkward and awful the last few weeks had been.

“Yeah.” His nod turned into a shrug and pout, backing off, “Or later, ya know, if you’re not hungry. Or tomorrow. Tomorrow’d work, if you’ve got something to do. We cou-“

He was interrupted by Lily’s phone ringing on the counter. They both looked at the phone and shared a titter, with Lily mumbling an apology so soft he almost didn’t hear her. Since he was standing, he reached back to the counter to hand her the phone before she missed the call. He couldn’t help seeing a beach backgrounded selfie of Lily and Alex on the screen, but pinned on a smile anyway, saying, “Here.”

Lily swiped her thumb to answer the call, saying hello before the call went to voicemail. Sebastian started backing away for the door, mouthing that he would just see her later. He slipped out the door and outside, giving a polite nod to the trio of bodyguards waiting around for Lily to reappear. They nodded back and Sebastian put a little extra pep in his step to put some ground between them. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Eddie, needing to vent. Despite the obvious sounds of a busy kitchen behind him, Eddie assured Sebastian he had time to talk, asking what was up.

”I asked her to dinner,” he hurriedly said, weaving his way between trailers and rigging to get to the end of the set and find his driver for a ride back to his hotel. “We were making jokes and I kinda thought she thought I was funny and, I don’t know. I just- I said it. It just came out.”

”Okay. _And_?” Eddie led him on.

”And her fuckin’ phone rang,” Sebastian complained, “and it was him.”

”Who's him?” Eddie wondered, sounding rather confused.

”Him. Her boyfriend. Alex,” he sighed. “It’s like the universe _knows_ and doesn’t want us to-“

”Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa there,” Eddie cut in. “What are you trying to do? She’s got a boyfriend. Did you ask her out to dinner, or were you _asking her out to dinner_?”

Sebastian threw up a hand. “Fuck, man. I don’t know,” he admitted. “She was being nice to me and we’re done for the day here and I just thought maybe we could hang out.”

”And you wouldn’t mind if anything else happened,” Eddie filled in.

”No!” Sebastian argued. “I mean, yeah, but _no_. Of course not.”

”Which one is it, pal?” he chuckled.

Sebastian shook his head. “I don’t know why I even called you. You know what?” he considered. “I’m not calling you anymore. I’m calling Lisa, from now on.”

”I’m sorry,” Eddie sincerely offered. “It was just a joke. I’m sorry. Okay?”

Sebastian gave a small wave to his driver as he got closer, and a large wave and smile to the fans gathered on the side of the blocked road. “I didn’t mean it like that,” Sebastian groused. “I just wanted to have dinner. I know she’s dating Alex and nothin’s gonna happen. I guess, I just got excited ‘cause we’ve actually kinda been getting along the last couple days.”

”Hey,” he piped up. “That’s still good news, right?”

”Yeah, I guess,” Sebastian admitted, opening the door to the back seat to climb inside.

”So, you missed out tonight,” Eddie figured, “but you guys are, at least, being civil again. There’s always tomorrow. Bring it up again. See what she says. What’s the harm?”

"Hey, Lil," Sebastian grinned, looking up from his script. He flipped the book closed and dropped it into the pocket of his director's chair, giving her his undivided attention as she settled into her own chair with a soft sigh.

"Hey," she nodded back, giving a look around the decidedly lethargic workers under the tent. The steady rain had made for an unproductive morning, as the crew waited for the weather to pass and see if the day could be saved. "Anything yet?"

Sebastian shook his head. "Still waiting," he said. "They think it might break in the next half hour or so."

"Well, hell," Lily griped, "by the time they get everything set up..."

"I know," he commiserated. "But, i guess, they think they need to try and salvage whatever they can, since we're on shorter days and missed a few."

"Sorry," she mumbled, clicking the button on her phone to check the time.

"It's not your fault," he quickly reminded her, "I was just saying, you know, we're just a little off schedule for the shoot. Happens all the time, and for less important reasons. That's all. Believe me, no one's complaining about the lighter schedule."

"Mm," Lily hummed, with a frown. "They should. The more delays, the better chance we drag this out to the holidays."

"Already making your list for Santa?" Sebastian quipped, giving her elbow a soft nudge and wagging his brow up at her.

Lily cracked a smile, dropping and shaking her head. "Not yet," she smirked. "But I'm sure everyone can't wait to get home."

"Yeah, I guess so," he considered. Maybe everyone but him. Sebastian didn't mind falling behind schedule, for the extra time he'd have with Lily and the space it gave him between him and New York. He wasn't looking forward to running in to Gabriella anytime soon. "Don't worry, Benny," he smiled. "You guys are invited over to my hotel for Thanksgiving dinner."

Lily chuckled, her eyes widening at the thought. " _God_ ," she complained, "if we have to make Thanksgiving plans for Portland..."

"It'll be great!" he promised her. "We'll have Eddie come out and make the whole thing for us. The turkey, the cranberry sauce, the casseroles and pies. The works!"

"Please don't talk about food," Lily winced, in spite of her smile. Tugging the sleeves of her sweatshirt down to cover her fingers in the chilly, damp air, she added, "I'm starving."

"You didn't eat?" he checked.

"I was hoping they were just going to call it," she groaned, "and I could get some _real_ food."

"Are they serving the imaginary stuff again?" Sebastian frowned, craning his neck to see the people milling around under the craft services tent.

"Smartass," Lily grumbled, smacking the back of her hand into his arm.

"Why don't you go get something to hold you over," Sebastian offered, "and we can grab some real food after work."

Lily's lips shifted to the side of her mouth, as she gave a quiet, contemplative hum. "I don't think so," she decided.

"Why not?" he asked, despite having his suspicions that maybe they really weren't getting along as well as he thought.

She sniffed, swiping her hidden hand at her nose, for the weather. With a shrug, she weakly explained, "I just don't think that's a good idea anymore. I mean, you and me, being seen  _out_ together, for anything. You know, with your girlfriend being so...suspicious, and press and stuff. I wouldn't want you getting into any kind of trouble or anything."

"Oh," he nodded once. "I see." Sebastian thought now was the time to tell Lily that he had finally told off Gabriella, but he was stumped for a moment for how to make it seem like he wasn't telling her to try and change her mind about going. He tried to play it cool, mentioning, "Yeah, well, I wouldn't worry about it. I mean, I appreciate the thought, but Ella and I aren't seeing each other anymore."

Lily's attention snapped from the rain dripping off the side of the tent to the side of Sebastian's face, as his eyes were down on the cuticle he picked at. She realized her reaction was noticeably fast and blinked away the surprise in her expression before he looked up to see her. "Oh, really?" she wondered. "I'm sorry to hear that. She seemed-"

"No, she didn't," he cut in, with a knowing smirk. "You don't have to try and make me feel better. She was a bitch, and we all know it." 

With her lips pressed together to keep her expression neutral, Lily hummed and gave a nod. "If you say so..." she vaguely agreed.

Sebastian chuckled, condescendingly agreeing, "Sure, Lil. Like you liked her at all."

"She was pretty," Lily brightly noted, turning up her covered palm in a kind of offering.

"On the outside," Sebastian dryly corrected.

Lily burst into laughter, hiding her uproarious amusement behind her sweatshirt covered hands she slapped over her mouth. Sebastian grinned, proudly, beside her. He couldn't remember the last time he'd coaxed a laugh like that from her, and he was content to sit there and take it in. She smacked the back of her hand into his arm again, telling him he was awful for saying such a thing, while he kept a smug grin on his face and innocently shrugged.

He elbowed her again, asking, "So, how 'bout it? Dinner? My treat."

Wiping at her eye and regaining her composure with a small sigh, Lily nodded. "Sure. What the hell?"


	75. Chapter 75

Sebastian was encouraged, and a little eager, to be going out with Lily. The shoot was called for the weather and Lily and Sebastian were out of wardrobe and leaving the set by one o’clock. There was a restaurant downtown that Lily and her entourage had put on the list of places to try. It was highly rated and the food looked delicious. The studio driver for Sebastian followed Lily’s SUV to the restaurant. The business wasn’t too crowded for the early afternoon and Lily and Sebastian were seated off to the side of the dining room. Lily’s security detail sat at a nearby table, between her and the door. 

The staff immediately recognized the stars and the manager was at their table, almost instantly, to greet them. Lily and Sebastian smiled graciously and entertained a couple minutes of conversation with the man about the restaurant. The man wished them a good meal and left them to look over the menus, when the waitress returned with some ice water for the table.

“Hello, Darlin’,” Sebastian grinned.

”Excuse me?” Lily flatly begged, quirking up a brow over the top of her menu.

Sebastian looked up and snorted at her mildly offended gaze, pointing at the page in front of him and explaining, “It’s the name of a drink.”

Lily’s eyes skipped around the menu until she saw the drink on the cocktails list. “Oh,” she quietly said, a soft flush passing through her cheeks, shrinking into her shoulders behind her menu in her embarrassment.

”When have I _ever_ called you _darling_?” he chuckled. “If I wasn’t being paid for it, that is.”

”Never, I guess,” she tittered, her eyes purposefully set on reading the entree descriptions.

”Probably a little outdated,” he considered, “don’t ya think?”

”I don’t know,” Lily pouted. “Right circumstances. I mean, it worked for Zsa Zsa.”

Sebastian smiled. “Oh, yeah! How could I forget about her? ...I wonder if it’s named after her.”

”Maybe. But you have to get the accent right, if you order it,” she noted, before sounding it out. “Dar-ling. No. Dah-ling.”

”Dahling?” he repeated, his brow furrowing, determinedly.

”It’s all in the A,” Lily instructed. “Like this. _Ahh_. Draw it out a little, and with a little rise in the middle. Hello, _dah_ ling.”

They both stopped, realizing how ridiculous the looked, and sounded. They sputtered into a laugh, Lily hiding under the shade of her hand at her brow.

”Diction lessons, with Lily Benjamin,” Sebastian announced, with a grin. “Charge by the hour and you’d make a killing.”

Lily waved a dismissive hand. “Whatever.”

”You’d be surprised who’d pay for an hour with you,” he told her.

”Um, ew,” she frowned. “Are we not doing “phrasing” anymore?”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “I meant like at camp, you sicko,” he chuckled. “People would pay good money for someone like you to coach them. I hope those kids realize what they got that summer.”

”They got good stuff from everyone there,” she corrected. “Especially you.”

”Nah,” he cocked his head, a bit shied by her praise. “Those kids were hooked on you. You were the big name. The rest of us were B list, at best.” Sebastian smiled. “But that was a good week.”

”It was a great week,” she agreed.

The waitress came back for their order. When she was gone, Sebastian wondered, “You ever think that you’d do something like that again?”

”Do what?” Lily shook her head, not quite following and taking a sip of her water.

”Come back to New York,” he said, inwardly hesitant for her answer. “Do another camp, like at Applause, or something.” He smirked. “Or is it too far beneath you?”

” _Beneath me_?” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Please.”

Sebastian chuckled and took a drink. “That’s not a no,” he pointed out.

”I’d do it,” she nodded, adding, “...if I had the time.”

The conversation hit a short lull. The waitress brought an appetizer of stuffed bacon wrapped dates and their cocktails. As they ate, Sebastian went out on a limb.

”We haven’t talked much lately,” he gently noted. “So, how’ve you been?”

Lily swallowed her date, noting, “Yeah, well, we haven’t really had a reason to.” She immediately thought better of her grumbling tone, and quickly said, “Sorry. That’s not fair.”

”No,” he nodded, his eyes drifting down in shame. “That’s fair.” Sebastian fidgeted with straightening his silverware on the table. “But if it’s any consolation,” he offered, “I missed it.” Lily’s eyes dropped, a bit embarrassed. “It’s my fault,” he admitted, with a heavy heart. “I shoulda done things-“ He inhaled, deeply, his brow rising with the realization, “I shoulda done a lot of things different.” He caught her eye again, telling her, “Picking some girl over one of my best friends was... That shouldn’t have happened. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

”Really?” Lily teased, trying to lighten the mood and assuage her own awkwardness. “Because I think we all saw her swimsuit issue. I think we can guess what you were thinking.”

”Fuck off, Lil,” Sebastian tried, and failed, to grimace. His lips turning up into a bashful grin, as he shook his head. “I’m a guy. What else am I s’pose to say?” He nodded to himself. “But I was wrong, alright? It won’t happen again.”

”Don’t say that,” she told him. “You never know when you might meet “the one”. Maybe she gets jealous, too. Don’t give up your happily ever after yet.”

”If she can’t be friends with my friends, a _ll_ of ‘em, she’s not gonna be “the one”,” he promised. 

Lily hummed, with a small grin, lost for what to say to that. She bit in to another date for a moment’s distraction. When she was finished, she shyly offered, “I’ve been good...by the way.”

Sebastian looked up from his reach toward the plate between them. A smile pulled back his lips and he nodded, “Good.”

There wasn’t room for dessert, but Lily and Sebastian sipped coffee after lunch. The weather was still dreary outside, but the rain had stopped. They had spotted some cameras gathering outside the restaurant windows some time ago. Neither of them was in much of a rush to go back outside. 

“Any big plans for Halloween weekend?” Lily asked, after searching for a moment for something to fill a lull at the table.

Sebastian shook his head, in front of a drink of his coffee. “Nah,” he shrugged. “Probably just hang out. Maybe see a movie or somethin’. You?”

”Going back to LA,” she told him. “There’s a charity thing that weekend,” she waved her hand. “Costumes and stuff.”

”Costumes?” he laughed. “No way. Are you really dressing up?”

Lily smiled, awkwardly, and tilted her head to her shoulder in a halfhearted shrug. “I dont know. It’s kind of classy. More like a masked ball than a costume party, I guess. Some people do costumes though.”

”No shit,” Sebastian marveled. “So are you two dressing up then, or just doing masks?”

”Huh?” Lily shook her head.

”You and Alex,” he said, inclining his head her way. “He’s not in town that weekend?”

”Oh,” Lily stalled, shaking her head. “Um, no. He’s still filming, too.”

Sebastian thought he picked up on some discomfort in her answer. He chalked it up to disappointment that Alex wasn’t going to be available for the event and went on. “That sucks. I’m sure he’s disappointed.”

”Probably, right?” she agreed, with a weak grin, giving the spoon in her mug a turn.

”So, you‘re gonna go solo?” he checked.

”No,” she corrected, “actually Ang was invited, too. She and Jeff are going to be there to rep the magazine.”

”That’ll be fun,” Sebastian smiled. “You guys should dress up as the Three Amigos.”

Lily laughed, a little louder than she meant to. Hiding behind her hand, she waved the idea away with her free hand, saying, “More like the Three Stooges.”

”How ‘bout the Marx brothers?” he suggested. 

“You’d have to come along,” Lily said, before she even realized she’d made the offer. Her smile faltered at her slip, recovering by adding, “We’d need a fourth.”

“As long as I get to be Chico,” Sebastian insisted, with a wide grin. “I always liked his name.”

”Yeah,” Lily agreed, wondering if he would really think she had invited him along, or if he was just playing to the joke.

She was relieved when Sebastian said he was sure there would be plenty of pictures to see and she nodded along. Across the table for two, Sebastian bit at his lip, watching Lily turn her attention to her coffee again. He was a little disappointed he hadn’t gotten a real offer to join her and Angela for the party. It sounded like fun, and he’d love to see Angela and her husband again, but he knew he shouldn’t have expected anything. After all, Lily was still dating Alex. Just because he was single again didn’t mean anything would change that. He had to keep some perspective. He sighed, realizing he should be grateful that he and Lily even went to lunch together and they just might be able to pull off being friends again.

“Well,” Sebastian spoke up, fixing a grin on his face and putting his palms down on the table, “probably about time to head out.” He had already made a grab for the check earlier and paid the bill and Lily thanked him for doing so. “Anytime,” he told her, rising from his seat when she moved to stand from hers.

Drew and his cohorts stood as well, straightening their suit jackets and turning their attention to the small gathering of paparazzi and the public outside. Lily ran her fingers through her hair and smoothed a hand down the front of her shirt. When she asked if she looked alright, Sebastian warmly smiled, “Perfect.”

”Stop,” she groaned, with a shy grin. “I’m wearing jeans and a hoodie, for God’s sake.”

”But a hoodie that costs, like, a hundred bucks, I bet,” he snorted. 

“More like 350,” Lily blushed.

”Jeeesus,” he gaped. “It’s a sweatshirt, Lil!”

”But I love it,” she whined, wrapping her arms to hug herself and the cashmere sweatshirt. 

Sebastian laughed, waving a hand at her. “I’m not even-“

“But it’s so soft,” she argued, sticking out her arm for him to test her assertion.

He reached out and then pulled his hand back behind his head, giving a shake of his head. “I don’t care how soft. I’m done. You’re ridiculous,” he pointed at her, “and I’m done.”

“Touch it,” she insisted, waving the extra length of her sleeve over her hand at him. 

“Why-“ His brow wagged up, when she chased his hand with her sleeve, and he relented, “Fine. Okay?” Sebastian gave her sleeve a stroke and rubbed the material between his thumb and finger. “There.”

”See?” 

“It’s soft,” he admitted. “But- No.” Sebastian flipped up his hand. “You’re still ridiculous for buying a $350 sweatshirt.” He looked to Drew, or his partners, for backup. “Guys, am I right?”

Ami and Brandon chuckled, shaking their heads at not wanting to get involved, and Drew shrugged, confessing, “My wife has one in blue.”

“The hell is wrong with you people?” Sebastian grimaced. He gave a confident sweep of his head, pointing at Lily and deciding, “LA has ruined you.”

Lily’s brow knit down in offense, as she gave her sleeve a pet. “No, it hasn’t.”

”Oh, my god,” Sebastian groused. “Are you- Are you _really_ pouting? ...about a _sweatshirt_?”

”No,” Lily frowned, giving him an incredulous look. She gave him a light shove in the arm, calling him a jerk as she walked around him to leave.

Behind her, Sebastian laughed. He caught up a moment later, seeing her trying to fight off a grin, as she gave him a look from the side of her eye. Drew held the door open for them and Ami and Brandon fell in to keep space for Lily and Sebastian on either side. Sebastian immediately reached out to take a marker and sign a fan’s notebook and Lily followed his lead, ignoring the cameras and smiling politely at the people asking for her autograph.

For the next couple of minutes, the stars entertained the public, pausing here and there for a quick selfie with someone or to look up for a video. Circling around them and holding cameras overhead for a shot, the paparazzi didn’t give up. When the din from the fans had begun to settle and they patiently wait their turn, Lily heard the paps pipe up, begging for her and Sebastian to look their way and asking questions she was not going to answer.

”Lily! How’s filming going? Take the day off?”  
“Where are you going next?”  
“How was lunch?”

She and Sebastian gave quick replies to their fans’ questions and comments, as they made them. Drew and Brandon kept everyone at a respectable distance, but the gossip media was impossible to ignore, with their incessant questioning. Lily softly groaned to herself, catching sight of a couple of the paps and recognizing them from Los Angeles. The rest she figured were traveling freelancers. 

“Lily, how’s the concussion?”  
“Sebastian! Over here!”  
“Hey, Seb. Any thoughts on Gabby and Jon Everett out at Marquee last night?”  
“Where’s Alex, Lily?”  
“Sebastian, what’s Gabby think of you and Li-“

”Oh, come on,” Sebastian complained, stopping mid-signature to look around for whoever might have been trying to bait him. “Give it a rest, alright?” He went back to the autograph, glad he had caught himself at the last second to say “alright” instead of “assholes”. 

Lily had had enough. She nodded to Drew, who moved in front of her to turn her away from the onlookers. Lily touched Sebastian’s arm, putting on as bright a smile as she could manage and telling him she’d see him at work. Sebastian turned to see her over she shoulder, watching for a second as Ami stepped out of their SUV to opened the back door for Lily. Brandon shut her and Drew inside, hurrying around the front of the car to get in as Ami put the car in gear. Sebastian finished his last signing, giving the fans a wave and an appreciative smile before he ducked into his own chauffeured car to make his escape.

”Assholes,” he muttered, looking through the tinted windows of his car and back out at the paparazzi.


	76. Chapter 76

On the drive back to her hotel, listening in on a bit of light conversation between Drew and his guys helped Lily shake off the irritation at the needling of the paparazzi after lunch. She knew she should never expect it stop, but she was getting regularly disappointed that every time she seemed to make any positive progress with the press, it seemed like it was for nothing. She picked at her thumbnail, wondering how, or if, she’d ever get ahead of it. Back in her room, Lily sifted through the mail Drew had brought over, in place of Jessica.

With her feet tucked underneath her in her armchair, she looked up from the letter in her hand to ask Drew, “So, how’s all the hate going?”

”What?” he asked, his brow knitting down in confusion.

”All the hate mail I’ve been getting lately,” she explained. “Keeping you guys busy?”

”There’s not a lot of-“ Drew stopped, making an irritated half-roll of his eyes at the brow she quirked up at him in challenge. “It’s not a problem.”

”Don’t tell me there’s not a lot of it,” she chided him. “I see the extra mail you get from Jess.”

”It’s not a problem,” he confidently repeated.

”What is it?” she asked.

”No.”

”No?”

”No,” Drew firmly said.

“No what?”

”We’re not discussing the kinds of hate mail you get,” he assured her.

”Why not?” she scowled.

”Why?” he asked, with a quick raise of his shoulders. “What’s the point?”

”I’m curious,” Lily shrugged.

”Don’t be curious about that stuff,” he swept his head. “It’s not worth it.”

Lily put aside the letter in her hand, reminding him, “You’ve told me about it before.”

”When you needed to know about it,” Drew agreed, “because it effected plans or appearances. That’s not the case this time.”

”So, what, it’s ju-“

”No.”

”I just w-“

”No.”

”If you-“

”No,” Drew swept his head. Pointing a finger at her, he added, “And I don’t care what the next thing is out of your mouth. The answer is still “no”. Try me. I got all day.”

Lily’s lips puckered and pushed a frown into the side of her mouth. “Fine. You’re fired,” she told him, with a cocky rise of her brow. “Ami’s in charge now. He’ll tell me.”

Drew snorted, shaking his head. “No, he won’t,” he smirked. “You could run down the whole list of guys in the company, and none of them would tell you.”

”You think so?” she dared.

”Know so,” he nodded, with a smug grin.

”Dammit,” Lily muttered. She sighed. “I just want to know if people are-“

”Don’t worry about it,” he cut in. “It’s petty, it’s juvenile, and it has absolutely no validity. It’s jealous people begging for attention that they don’t deserve. And anything that does deserve attention deserves mine, not yours. Don’t waste your time on them.”

”What else have I got to do?” Lily grumbled.

”Film a movie?” he smartly suggested.

Lily rolled her eyes, giving in to a grin. “With my _free_ _time_ ,” she corrected. “I have half a day to kill now because of the weather, short hours on set.” Lily flipped up her hand. “I’m bored. And every time I go somewhere people are still giving me hell me about the Swiss Miss and being a tramp. Nothing good ever happens anymore, so I might as well see what the bad is up to.”

”You've got all that press coming up,” Drew offered.

“Pfft,” Lily huffed. “Because this whole disaster made people want to talk to me. _That’s_ why I’ll be in magazines.”

”You need a vacation,” he decided, and Lily scoffed. “You’re in the middle of filming, with a concussion, and you’re cutting in and out of town for events and press,” he told her, ticking out fingers as he made his point. “You’re back on a plane next week for another event in LA, this project is off schedule and will probably wrap just before Thanksgiving, if you’re lucky, and then you’re straight in to campaigning for award season. Because, in case you may have forgotten, you still have a movie in theaters that everyone is expecting nominations from.” Lily closed her eyes and let her head tiredly fall back to the cushion of the chair, as he went on. “And that’s not including the invitations Jess has for you between now and January, the press Mark has scheduled  _after_ this shoot, the scripts you’re interested in, and whatever else you get in to in the in between.”

Lily peeked through one eye. “Is that all?”

”Isn’t that enough?” he snorted, pocketing his hands. “And you tell me you’ve got nothing better to do than creep through hate mail?”

“Am I wearing you out with all my obligations?” she grinned.

”I’ve never even broken a sweat,” he smugly assured her.

Lily reciprocated his smile, before her amusement slowly dissolved from her expression. It was quiet for a moment, before she softly admitted, “I’m miserable, D.”

Drew inhaled, as he nodded slowly. “I know.”

”Nothing I do anymore is good enough,” she shook her head, her eyes falling to her hands folded in her lap. “The paps never give up, people turned on me... Mark’s selling this image to Vanity Fair and shit and, the truth is, nobody buys it anymore. Not after the garbage the tabloids have been running the last few years.” Lily held up her hand to demonstrate, “I could count on one hand the number of people I could _actually_ call friends, anymore.” She let her hand heavily fall to her lap. “Alex dumped me,” she bluntly said. “Did you know that?”

In lieu of a direct answer, Drew halfheartedly raised a shoulder as he tilted his head. He gave a reluctant nod. “Suspected.”

”Chalk up another failure,” Lily flipped out a hand.

”You guys are still friends, right?” he figured. 

”Yeah,” she admitted, slightly relieved that that much was true. “But now I’m in this whole-“ She waved her upturned palms around uselessly, looking for the words. “This _charade_ , with our reps orchestrating a break up in the press so people don’t think I’m the whore everyone’s been saying I am lately. But even that’s not guaranteed to help me save face. Frankly, no one’s ever nice when I break up with someone. ...So, maybe I just want to know what’s in the mail so I know what I’m up against. Is that too much to ask?”

”It is,” Drew nodded, and Lily let out a frustrated groan. “It’s not gonna make you feel any better.”

”Well,” she exasperatedly threw out a hand, “I’m taking suggestions.” 

He snuffled a laugh at her frustration, giving her a small sweep of his head. “You’re doing better than you think,” he assured her, with a nod. “People still send fan mail and wait outside for your autograph, everyday. People line up for your movies.” Lily gave a limp shrug. “You sold out a Broadway show, got a Walk of Fame star this year, probably the Oscar in a few months. It’ll pass,” he promised, with a sure nod. “It’s cyclical. You know that. It never lasts. You’ll be back on top again soon. Not that you’d ever believe you never left.”

Jessica was back in town. She’d caught a late flight and was back to work with Lily first thing in the morning. She had a good report from the photoshoot of the house. Jessica had snapped a few pics of her own from the photographer’s monitor. Lily was pleased with what she saw, and endlessly thankful of Jessica for going back home to handle things for her. 

On set, the morning sky was still overcast from the rain the day before. The local weatherman promised the clouds would thin and the crew was confident they’d be to work for the 10 a.m. call. The scenes had been a bit softer lately, focusing on Pete and Emma’s happier times. Today called for a sunny backdrop, as Pete proposed to Emma outside. The scene put them on the patio of a bistro.

The production had done some dressing of a downtown restaurant to give it a little more of a New York look. The timing of the scene was meant to be in summer. Green leafy plants were added to the patio and propane heaters had been set up just out of frame, in an attempt to keep the stars and background actors warm in their summertime costumes in the chilly October air. After walking through a rehearsal, Lily was wrapped in a blanket beside the cameras, trying to keep herself warm in her strappy chiffon dress, while her hairstyle was pinned and sprayed to hold up in the light but steady breeze.

”Any chance we could rewrite this proposal to happen next to a fire?” Lily only half-joked to the script supervisor. 

“I think it’s a little late for rewrites today,” she winked.

”Dammit,” Lily muttered, tugging the blanket a little tighter around her. “I’m doing this with the blanket,” she announced to Jason. “You can remove it in post.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, “But it’s way cheaper if you just do it without the blanket.” 

“Send me the bill,” she told him.

Jason chuckled, promising, “You can keep the blanket on your lap for the shots were you’re seated at the table. Fair enough?”

”Hardly,” Sebastian chimed in, walking in to the conversation his hands stuck in the pockets of his puffy coat. “This wind is ridiculous. If she gets the blanket, I’m keeping the coat.”

”You get to wear pants,” Lily argued.

”There are heaters,” the director reminded them both.

“Who the hell wrote this schedule to film these scenes in the ass end of October in Portland?” Lily frowned.

”Tax breaks, my dear,” Jason told her. 

“Fuck it,” she scowled. “Next time I’m demanding producer credits and fronting the money to only film in warm places in winter. Tax breaks be damned.”

Sebastian snickered, as Jason held up his hands. “If it’s any consolation, I’d prefer filming in Cabo, or someplace, right now over 57° and breezy in Oregon. Believe me.”

“I hate Portland,” Lily grumbled.

”No, you don’t,” Sebastian smirked, and her stubborn look dissolved to misery at the cold.

”Alright,” Jason said, waving a hand over head, “Let’s get this started, before we have a mutiny on our hands.”

Lily and Sebastian made their way back onto the patio, taking their places next to the hostess stand. The costume mistress came to collect Lily’s blanket and Sebastian’s coat at the last second, and Lily shivered at the loss. She tried to shake off the cold, while Jason called the crew to order and equipment to life. 

“I can hear your teeth chattering,” Sebastian chuckled to Lily, and the extra playing the hostess snickered.

”I want a stunt double,” Lily decided, her joke making it impossible for the trio of actors to have straight faces when the director called for “action”.

”Still rolling...” Jason noted, sounding slightly less amused than his players were. “Whenever you’re ready, guys.”

Sebastian waved a hand in apology and the hostess cleared her throat to center herself. Lily quickly rubbing her hands up and down her arms, before nodding to herself in a kind of pep talk. Taking up some menus in hand, the extra started them off.

”Just two today?” she brightly asked, and Sebastian nodded for the couple. “Follow me, please.”

The hostess turned to lead them to a table and Sebastian put a hand at the small of Lily’s back to guide her. She was happy for the warm spot his touch made, until the chill set back in when it was gone. She scooted her chair up to the table as Sebastian sat. The hostess gave them each a menu and told them their waiter would be by shortly. In the wide framed shot, Lily crossed her ankles under the table and pressed her legs together, trying to keep from shivering.

”Did you want to order some wine?” Sebastian asked, looking over his menu.

”Nah,” Lily shook her head, laying her menu on the table to fold her hands in her lap. “I think I’m just going to get some iced tea.”

”You sure?” he pressed. “It’s a nice day. Let’s splruge.”

Lily laughed. “And be all tipsy when we see you mom and dad later?”

”Sure,” he shrugged, with a smile. “Might help the nerves.”

Lily opened her mouth for her next line, but was interrupted by the director saying, “Cut. ...Lily, can you sit up a bit and relax? You look stiff. You look cold.”

Lily crushed her eyes closed, yelling to the sky, “It’s 57° and I am in _chiffon_ , Jason! I _am_ cold!”

The crew and extras at the tables around them burst into laughter. Sebastian dropped his head, hiding behind his menu. Lily wrapped her arms around herself, turning down her chin to laugh at herself. But she wouldn’t apologize. Somehow, she felt a little warmer after the sarcastic outburst. 

“I can’t use any of that, Lily,” Jason reminded her. “Everyone, back to one, please. Can I get a marker?”

Lily and Sebastian stood up to go back to the edge of the patio. Props stepped in to adjust the chairs at the table and collect the menus for the hostess. On her way back to the hostess station, Lily groaned, still holding herself to stay warm.

”Nice,” Sebastian chuckled, as she caught up to him, already on his mark. “Feel better?”

”Still cold,” she noted, with a sweep of her head and disappointed expression, bouncing on her toes to try and warm up.

He didn’t think twice about stepping up to fold his arms around her and hug Lily close. “We’ll do this one right, this time and get you your blanket in no time,” he assured her.

Lily pulled her shoulders up, folding into the warmth his embrace offered, nodding her committal. “For the blanket,” Lily agreed.

Sebastian snickered and Jason called for the scene to begin again. Lily straightened up out of Sebastian’s arms and the hostess paused a beat before delivering her line and starting the scene again. It was only about 45 seconds worth of screen time they had to film, but it seemed like minutes. When the scene cut again, the costume mistress returned with the coat and blanket. She passed the jacket to Sebastian and dropped the blanket around Lily’s shoulders. Jason took a minute to review the take on the monitor. They made a few more runs of it, just in case. After that, the frame narrowed and Lily was allowed to keep the blanket wrapped around her lower half.

“How you holding up?” Sebastian checked, while the stylist touched up Lily’s hair.

”I’m voting for Pete and Emma to just go to Vegas,” Lily told him. “Screw the sappy proposal.”

“You’re taking all the fun out of it,” he playfully chided.

”It’s faster that way,” she pointed out, taking a sip of the hot tea Jessica had brought over for her.

Sebastian grinned, shaking his head. “Well, I promise, I’ll get this is one take, if you will.”

The thought of getting to the lunch break and back into her heated trailer was exciting and Lily stuck out her hand to shake his. “Deal.”


	77. Chapter 77

When the stylist was done and they were ready to proceed, Lily held up a finger to remind Sebastian of their deal. The cameras were rolling and the background had come to life again. The waiter cleared a couple of plates and Sebastian and Lily patiently waited for their privacy again, Lily finishing off the last of her wine-colored water in her glass, trying to think warm thoughts, as the framing for the next part of the scene wouldn’t allow Lily her blanket.

”So, I was thinking,” Sebastian spoke up, “we’ve-“

”Would you care for any dessert?” the waiter returned to offer.

”Uhh, no,” Sebastian looked up, with an impatient smile. “Thanks.”

With a nod, the waiter turned to go and Sebastian went on, “We've been-“

”Actually,” Lily cut in, raising her hand off the table to catch the waiter’s attention, “I wouldn’t mind seeing the menu.”

”Of course,” the waiter smiled. “Just one moment.”

Sebastian sighed quietly to himself. ”Em?” he got her attention.

”Hm?” she hummed, raising her brow to say she was listening.

”Em, I was saying,” he pointed out, “I’ve been thinking. You and me-“

”Here we are,” the waiter announced, unfolding the menu to hand to Lily. “I’ll give you a minute to look it over.”

Sebastian eyed the waiter, making sure he was gone, before shifting in his seat to see Lily again. She was reading the menu, when he cleared his throat and tried again, “Emma?”

”Yes?” she answered, attention still down on the menu.

”I’d never claim that I was a great writer,” Sebastian told her, “but I think I’m a fair one.”

”Well, _I_ think you’re great,” she winked over her menu.

”Thanks,” he grinned, shyly lowering his gaze. When he looked back up, Lily was back to perusing her menu. Sebastian sat a little straighter in his seat, a look of determination coming to his eyes. “What I meant was, I kind of always thought I’d have come up with some perfect sonnet or verse by now to-“

”Have you decided?” the interrupting waiter asked, appearing again.

”For god’s sake,” Sebastian muttered under his breath, deflating to slump into the back of his chair.

”I’ll have the chocolate mousse, please,” Lily nodded, with a grin, as she handed over the menu.

“Anything for you, sir?” the waiter politely checked, turning to Sebastian.

”No,” he growled.

Lily frowned at Sebastian, pausing for the waiter to leave before asking, “What’s the matter with you?”

”I’ve been trying to propose to you for the last two minutes, but that jackass-“

”You what?” Lily blinked.

After another sigh, Sebastian sat up again, confessing, “I had this whole speech written out.” He gave a disappointed sweep of his head. “Had the whole day planned. We we’re going to have a nice lunch at your favorite restaurant, have some wine, and then I was going to tell you how incredible it is that you and I met again and how much I-“ Sebastian put up a hand, warning the waiter approaching to refill their water glasses, “Man, I swear to god, if you come over here one more time while I’m doin’ this...”

Lily laughed, hiding her smile behind her hands, her cheeks blushing, when the waiter abruptly turned on his heel to walk away. Sebastian’s shoulders dropped and his brow rose in apology and sincerity. He shook his head, earnestly promising, “It was going to be so eloquent.”

Putting his napkin on the table, Sebastian stood and pulled a black velvet box from his pocket. He stepped around the side of the table, opening the jewelry box as he lowered himself to one knee beside Lily. Lily’s expression turned to excited disbelief.

”I kind of always thought I’d have come up with some perfect sonnet or verse by now,” he started again, “to tell you how absolutely amazing you are. But the truth is, I can’t. I’m completley dumbstruck when I’m around you, in awe of everything about you. You‘re luminous, Emma, and I’m humbled everyday that I can even stand in your shadow. You inspire me. I’ve never been so happy since I found you again. Please,” he hoped, holding the diamond ring in its box up to her, “do me the honor of being my wife, my muse, my love forever. Will you marry me, Emma?”

Lily was on the verge of tears, as the script called for Emma to be. Moved beyond words, she enthusiastically nodded. Sebastian let out a sigh of relief, taking the ring from its box to slip on Lily’s outstretched hand. She leaned forward, throwing her arms around Sebastian’s neck as he still kneeled in front of her. The extras in the bistro scene applauded and cooed over the fake proposal, and Lily laughed, awkwardly, through a couple of joyful tears for Emma. She wouldn’t mind a proposal like that for herself, someday.

With his chin hooked over her shoulder, Sebastian quipped, “I was so sure the waiter was gonna come back before I got it all out.”

“Me, too,” Lily giggled. 

Lily sat back, admiring the ring on her finger a moment, while Sebastian worried, “Do you like it, Em?” She was nodding, but before she could speak, Sebastian hurriedly added, “I know it’s smaller than some of your friends have, but I _promise_...I’ll buy you a bigger one later, when I-“

She shook her head, insisting, “No, don’t. It’s beautiful! I love it.”

Sebastian's face lit up, relieved. The last direction of the script was for a hug. Going with what Lily imagined it would feel like to be surprised by a such a charming proposal, she cupped her hands to his cheeks and pulled him to her for a kiss, as she made the move to wrap her arms around his neck again. As surprised as he was by the improvisation, Sebastian tried not to let it show. He hugged her back, waiting for the director to call the scene and savoring the taste of her balm left on his lips.

”Cut!”

Lily sat back in her chair, pulling away from Sebastian. She looked over her shoulder, curious to see if Jason would call them to a break or not. Sebastian put a hand on the side of the table, steadying himself as he stood up.

”Let’s do lunch and we’ll come back to this,” Jason decided. “Lily. Sebastian. It looked good from back here. Nice work, you two.”

Lily smiled, proudly. She glanced up at Sebastian still beside her. He flashed her a grin, before taking a step back to give the woman from Wardrobe room to give Lily a coat. Sebastian accepted his jacket back, with a quick word of thanks. Lily tugged her coat on, letting out a shaky breath as she exaggeratedly shivered.

”One take,” Sebastian reminded her, as she stood up.

”God, I hope so,” Lily begged, turning her eyes up to the sky to beg. “I don’t want to do this bistro scene anymore.”

Sebastian watched, as she stuck out her hand for the prop master to retrieve Emma’s engagement ring. He helpfully picked up the ring box from the table and handed it off to Props, saying to Lily, “We should go eat inside.”

Lilys brow wrinkled. “What? In the restaurant?”

”Yeah,” he shrugged, glancing over his shoulder toward the door. “They’re still open. It’s just the patio over here that’s closed off. It smells good, don’tcha think?”

Lily couldn’t argue. The actual bistro menus were slipped in to fake covers, instead of creating mock ups for the scene. While she’d had the menu in her hands earlier, some of the dishes did sound good. She agreed, and Sebastian gestured a hand across him for her to lead the way inside. Lily left her blanket behind on the chair, grinning at his kind gesture and the thought of being inside where it was warm.

Their arrival through the front door caught staff and guests off guard. Simply standing at the hostess podium, they had everyone’s attention. Lily pinned on a demure grin, seeing everyone’s eyes on them. The back edge of the dining room had been closed off to keep people from wondering out onto the restaurant patio while the crew was filming. They were seated there, with Lily’s entourage at their own table.

”The hostess is totally swooning,” Lily quietly teased, eyes on her menu, when the young lady was out of earshot.

”Really?” Sebastian asked, looking after the girl. “Hmm.” He chuckled to himself and shook his head. “Too bad I’m engaged.”

Lily gave him a crooked smile and a sweep of her head. “Dork,” she muttered. “You know it’s just a movie, right?”

He shrugged, with a mischievous grin. “Allll part of the ten year plan,” he mused.

”You’re ridiculous,” she told him.

”You say that a lot,” he pointed out.

She thoughtfully tipped her head, still reading the menu. “Then it must be true.”

The extra attention they got stuck with them through their meal. Lily did give a nod to her bodyguards when a woman and her daughter came close. The pair were waved over to the table and the little girl stuck out an envelope her mother had clearly dug out of her purse for her to get an autograph on. 

“Sweetie, ask Ms. Benjamin first,” the woman gently corrected.

But the girl was too shy to speak and Lily smiled, taking the pen and paper from her to sign. “Who do I make it out to?” She asked.

The little girl’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. Her cheeks flushed and she leaned into her mother’s side. Her mom, smoothing her hand down the back of the girl’s hair, answered, “Daisy.”

”What a beautiful name,” Lily gushed, as she addressed a note to the girl. 

“Daisy?” Sebastian asked, pointing a discerning finger her way. “Aren’t you the girl who’s in the new Star Wars movie?”

Lily grinned, as the girl shook her head, and managed to get out a soft, “No.”

”Oh, that’s a shame,” Sebastian frowned. “Maybe they’ll put you in the next one.”

The girl smiled, wide enough to show off a missing tooth when she giggled. “Do you want to be an actress?” Lily wondered.

Daisy nodded, hiding her grin behind her little balled up hand. “We just watched “Garden Lane” last weekend,” her mother explained. “She was so excited to here you were making a movie where we live, I told her we’d come downtown and see what a film set looks like.” She put her hand over her heart, sincerely saying, “Thank you so much for the autograph. I hope we’re not too-“

”Oh, no,” Lily brightly assured her. “No, not at all.” She tipped the end of the pen toward Sebastian, before handing back the paper and pen, and checked with Daisy, “You know who he is, right?”

Daisy nodded, moving her hand away just long enough to say, “He’s Bucky.”

Lily laughed at the way Sebastian’s face proudly lit up. Daisy held out the paper for him and he gladly accepted, saying, “I’d be honored.”

Lily motioned for Jessica to come over, suggesting to Daisy’s mother, “Would you like to get a couple pictures?”

Jessica spoke up, “Do you have a phone handy?”

While the mother got in to her purse for her phone, Sebastian leaned over to pass Daisy back her envelope and pen. “I can’t wait to see you in Star Wars.”

Jessica had the cell phone all set up to take pictures for the woman and her daughter. Lily stood up to join them for a photo alone, before Sebastian squeezed in for the next one. Daisy shook the actor’s hands, with a very polite and suddenly mature, “Thank you” to them both. The mother and daughter went back to their table with smiles on their faces, and Lily watched over her shoulder as Daisy proudly showed her mom the envelope. She told her assistant to get their address before they left to send Daisy a headshot and “whatever else” later. Jessica went happily to work. 

When Lily turned back to her food, she caught Sebastian beaming at her. “What?” she frowned. “Something in my teeth?”

”No,” he chuckled, shaking his head and taking up his fork again. “Just proud of how you’ve grown up.” Lily groaned, rolling her eyes and he noted, “Seeing you go from not stopping for anyone last winter to sending packages to little fans. Nice work, Benny.”

”Yeah, well,” she smirked, “Christmas is coming. Gotta stay off the naughty list this year.”

Sebastian snuffled his laughter, shaking his head and glancing away to see Jessica crouched down on her toes at the mother and daughter’s table and taking notes. “Hey,” he said. “We should get Jason to put Daisy in the movie. Have her and her mom sit at one of the tables outside, walk by the camera or something.”

”That’d be fun, right?” Lily agreed. She waved to Jessica again and Sebastian made a joke about the poor girl never getting to finish her lunch.

”Lunch?” Jessica teased. “What’s that?”

”Ha Ha,” Lily dryly laughed. She sent Jessica back outside to pass on Sebastian’s suggestion to Jason or any of the staff she could find to make it happen. Turning back to Sebastian, she knew, “That little girl’s gonna flip her shit.”

”She’s like 7,” he figured. “Can she do that?”

Lily confidently nodded. “I did when I got my first part,” she admitted. “Maybe she’s an extra today and in 20 years we see her at the Oscars.”

” _I’d_ flip my shit,” he chuckled.

“You were so gooood,” Lily cooed, crouched down to balance on her toes in front of Daisy. “Thank you for being in our movie.”

Sebastian’s grin was firmly in place the whole time, watching Lily interact with her young fan. All Daisy had done was sit at a table in the background of the proposal scene. Despite assurances that the scene looked flawless in the first take, Jason asked for it to be run a few more times, just in case. Lily suffered through the chilly taping another seven times, by the time the additional takes were made. But she didn’t make a fuss about it. She’d gotten it out of her system earlier and had resigned herself to the cold day.

Lily stood up, shaking Daisy’s mother’s eagerly offered hand. “This has just been amazing,” she told the stars, smiling at them both.

“Thank you,” Daisy smiled up at them.

”Oh, thank you, sweetheart,” Sebastian insisted.

Daisy and her mother waved, as they wandered off set with the rest of the extras. Lily slipped her arms into her jacket that the costume mistress had put over her shoulders when the director called the scene. She felt her cheeks warm, catching Sebastian still grinning at her.

”What?” she wondered, a bit shied.

He shrugged. “Nothing. Just you were real sweet to her.”

”She’s adorable, isn’t she?” Lily grinned, crossing her arms to hold her coat closed.

”She’s never going to forget this,” he assured her. “Even if she doesn’t grow up to be an actress.”

Lily smiled at the thought. “Yeah,” she agreed, looking after the girl at the side of the set.

”Come on,” he told her, a sly smirk coming to his lips. “Let’s go before you start ovulating.”

”Excuse me?!” she laughed, her jaw dropped open in exaggerated offense, moving with him toward the Wardrobe trailer.

”If anybody ever wondered what you’d be like as a mom...” Sebastian teased.

Lily didn’t think she heard anything to be insulted by, but the first thing her mind went to was being cast in roles for older women. “Oh, god,” she groaned. “Spare me.”

“What?” he laughed, reaching for the door to the trailer. “You’d be a great mom.”

”Please stop,” she winced.

“She thinks you’re calling her old,” Jessica chimed in, following Lily up the stairs while he held the door.

”Oh, for god’s sake,” he rolled his eyes, climbing up the stairs. “I meant like if you had a kid, not being recast, you pessimistic brat.”

Lily stuck out her tongue at him, as she passed off her coat to her costumer. She took her phone, when Jessica held it out for her, grumbling, “I’m not a pessimist.”

”You’d give the Grinch a running,” he assured her, hanging up his coat on a hangar.

”Fine,” she shrugged, giving her phone back to her assistant. “I’m cancelling your Christmas present this year.”

”Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Lil,” Sebastian warned her, with a smile in the side of his mouth, as he stepped behind a curtain to change. “Your love of shopping outweighs your spitefulness.”

Lily gave a small shake of her head, taking off her earrings. She softly snorted, caught without a snappy comeback. And she could picture his proud smirk at her silence on the other side of the curtain. Lily pulled a t-shirt over her head, tucking in one arm at a time, as she slipped her dress straps off her shoulders. She tugged down her shirt, while the costumer unzipped her, and flipped her head out from under her collar. Another girl from the Wardrobe Department handed her a pair of jeans, after she had passed off another outfit to Sebastian’s arm poked out of the curtain.

”You have a package from Mark,” Jessica mentioned to Lily, as she shimmied to put on her jeans. “Some proofs that Vanity Fair sent over they didn’t use.”

”Bet those are good,” Sebastian commented, stepping out of the dressing area again. He caught sight of Lily‘s bare belly as she held up the hem of her shirt to zip and button her jeans. He quickly shifted his attention to the pair of shoes his costumer was held out to him, before Lily or anyone else noticed his wandering eye. “Have you seen ‘em?” he asked Jessica.

She hummed her negative reply, shaking her head. She told Lily, “It was delivered to the hotel, this morning.”

”That’s a shame,” he frowned. “Leibowitz did those, right?”

”Yeah,” Lily distractedly said, her attention on slipping some bangle bracelets onto her wrist.

Tying his shoelaces, he mentioned, “I’d love to see them.”

”I’ll bring them tomorrow,” Jessica offered, apparently without a second thought, before Lily shot her a betrayed look. “What?” she mouthed, with an apologetic shrug.

Lily hadn’t seen the photos, but when a photographer or magazine sent her proofs, they tended to keep the best ones for themselves. She didn’t known what the magazine would have sent her. She took a breath, trying to remind herself that the preview from the article was favorable. She should have nothing to worry herself over about the photos. Right?

”If I don’t set them on fire first,” Lily muttered.

Sebastian snickered, adjusting the tongue of his shoe before he stood up. Walking past Lily, he deadpan told her, “Burning an Annie Leibowitz is a sin and an affront to artists and fashion of every kind. You know that.”

“Don’t you have some place to be?” Lily wryly asked, giving him a side eye in the mirror ahead of her.

”I do,” he nodded, from the doorway. “And I’m gonna beat you there.”


	78. Chapter 78

The rest of the day kept them downtown. Sebastian and Lily had some walking and talking to do in the shopping district of the city. At least this time Lily’s Wardrobe included a light cardigan over her tee. She was much more comfortable and agreeable to multiple takes for the afternoon filming. 

On her evening ride back to her hotel, Lily messaged with Alex for awhile. His own production was moving along. The cast and crew were getting ready to move to Italy for a week, before finishing filming in Atlanta. By the time he would be stateside again, their PR reps will have finished their work setting up the actors’ amicable split for the press. In the meantime, Lily and Alex were both copied in an email between their publicists discussing the success of the first planted seeds of doubt for the couple’s romantic longevity. The email included a link to a blind item on a usually reputable site for such things.

”This power couple is feeling the strain. After a busy summer of non-stop parties and premieres, this inseparable A List duo is being tested by location shoots on different sides of the planet. Rumors and accusations of infidelity were unfounded, but the distance for this Hollywood Queen and her Prince Charming may be too much to manage.”

Lily: That’s subtle 

Alex: Hey...could be anyone 

Lily shook her head, with a subtle smirk.

Lily: Riiight

Alex:   ;) Chin Up. It’ll all work out the way it’s supposed to

Lily: Chin Up. Fingers crossed. Live chicken sacrificed. 

Alex: Lol all of the above. It’ll be fine. 

Alex: It’s a nice soft sell to start

Lily: True

She had no argument to make. It was an easy move, simple but pointed. The writers for the gossip site were reliable and the must trustworthy, if there was such a thing. At least the website seemed to try to run itself with a bit of dignity and peddled mostly the truth. If they ever revealed their sources, they probably would include a long list of publicists and close, personal friends of the stars they reported on. 

On Monday, Lily was back in the doctor’s office. The studio was eager to make up for some lost time and hoping the doctor would say Lily was well enough to go back to full shooting days. Without any protests or concerns from Lily, the doctor consented to releasing her completely back to work after her concussion. She did get some cautionary advice and was encouraged to come back or go to the emergency room, if she had any issues or new complaints after the crash. 

Lily was less thrilled than the studio heads for her clean bill of health. She’d happily admit that the shorter days on set were nice, once she considered how long her days were about to get again. But she understood it needed to be done. Lily’s convalescing had added a potential three weeks to the production length. Ordinarily, it would only affect the accountants. But this time, the extended end of the schedule overlapped Sebastian’s next project.

There was supposed to have been a two week break before shooting began on Sebastian’s next film and he had to report to LA. As it was, the extra time added to their movie together was preventing him from meeting his obligations. A fact causing Sebastian and his team more than a little grief, if he didn’t appear as promised. It was an indie project that hadn’t been sold yet. Sebastian breaching his contract wasn't a hit the production could afford to take and they also didn’t have the budget and wiggle room to fuss with their schedule. Sebastian had fielded some frustrating calls about the potential problem over the last few days. As much as the company didn’t want, and frankly couldn’t suffer the delays and recasting, to lose him, and he didn’t want to abandon the production, it was a very real potential and something Lily couldn't help eavesdropping on one morning.

The window to the Hair and Makeup trailer was cracked and she couldn’t help but overhear his phone call outside. Lily had committed to being back in Los Angeles for the Halloween weekend. Her absence had given the crew extra time off. The freebie was one of the sore spots brought up by the producers, when Lily got to the set after her doctor’s appointment. They were already packing the schedule again and the first thing they wanted to address was the extra time off.

“This Halloween weekend thing isn’t going to work.”  
“We can’t afford to take any more days off. We’re in a tight spot here.”  
“Stan’s talking about needing to be in LA on the 16th and, frankly, there’s no way we can wrap production that fast if we keep-“  
“What he means is, we’re cancelling the days off for the crew and we need you stay in Portland. We’ll work both the 30th and 31st back into the schedule. We’re still anticipating going over budget, but we might be able to get back on schedule. _Might_.”  
“Of course, any week that had two days off is down to one. Move up morning call times, stretch out our hours in the day again.”  
“We just need you to commit to these changes.”

Lily blinked at the rapid fire discussion she seemed to only be an observer to. She had promised her appearance at the charity event and, more importantly, her time to Angela and her husband for a visit. Lily felt like she’d been painted into a corner. Either decision she made would be wrong. If she kept the time off and went to the Halloween ball, the charity and her friends would be happy. If she stayed and worked, the studio would be happy. One way, the crew would be happy, but Sebastian wouldn’t be and could possibly lose out on a job. The other, the crew would be disappointed and Sebastian stood a chance to at least have a day or two to get to LA.

”Okay,” she reluctantly agreed. “I’ll stay.” She gave a small nod. “I’ll be available both days.”

The producers were visibly relieved. Lily, on the other hand, was miserable. She hadn’t done anything to deserve their appreciation and praise. Not when she had to rob Peter to pay Paul like this. She sulked in her trailer, until the last of the short days in the schedule had her called to Wardrobe. Lily made the disappointing phone call to Angela, telling her she was cancelling her trip home and the reason why. Lily could tell Angela was trying not to sound like she was disappointed. She promised to send pictures and Lily tried to smile when she spoke, hoping to sound like she wasnt too disappointed herself.

Jessica had the task of cancelling Lily’s invitation with the charity. Lily was just handing her assistant’s phone back, after authorizing her accountant to make a sizable donation to the charity as her means of apology for the last minute cancelation, when there was a knock on her door. Lily dragged herself off the couch, waving a dismissive hand for Jessica to keep going with her phone call. Peeking out the shade on the window, she saw Sebastian absentmindedly looking around while he waited at her door. Lily opened the door, gesturing for him to come in.

”Hey.”

”Morning, Lil,” he replied, nodding his hello to Jessica at seeing her on the phone. He turned, watching Lily shut the door behind him and walk back to her spot on the couch. “Heard you’re back to the grind.”

”Yep,” she said, with a flourish of her hands in the air, but her grin lacking a bit in enthusiasm.

Sebastian nodded his understanding. “Yeah,” he acknowledged, with a flash of a sympathetic grin. “I heard about the schedule.” He tipped his head toward the set outside. “Think they all have.”

”I’m sorry,” she frowned, tucking her feet up onto the couch. “There’s really nothing I could do.”

”I know,” he solemnly assured her. “I don’t envy the position you were in. But I wanted to say, thanks. It sucks, but it kind of keeps me out of trouble. I know you had to cancel your plans, and I’m sorry about that, but, if it means anything, I appreciate it.”

It did mean something and Lily gave him a warm smile. “No problem.”

Sebastian noticed the change in Lily’s demeanor for the rest of the day. She kept a smile pinned to her face, between takes, but when she didn’t think anyone was looking, he could see her moping. He felt bad for her. The studio had put her in a terrible position and he knew it. He felt a little selfish for being able to call his agent and tell her to calm down the execs on his next film, that he should make it to LA on time. He made a note to try and send her those flowers, thinking they might help her mood.

Lily looked like she was walking on eggshells around the crew, although Sebastian hadn’t heard anyone complaining about the schedule changes yet. He figured Lily was anticipating some kind of backlash over the loss of the Halloween weekend off. Not that he could blame her. When they had time between shots, he made a point of being chatty to try and help keep Lily distracted.

When filming was done for the day, Sebastian tugged at Lily’s shirt sleeve for her attention. “Hey, Benny.”

Lily stopped and turned, an easy, but tired, grin on her face. “Yes, dear?”

”You wanna grab a bite to eat?” he offered. “There’s this place near the hotel I’m staying at, hole in the wall kind of place. They make the best Rueben this side of the Big Apple. Wanna try it?”

Lily’s lips shifted to the side of her mouth, as she thought. “I’m kinda tired,” she admitted.

“We could get it to go and eat at my place,” he suggested, holding out his upturned hand. “That way you don’t have to see anybody.”

Lily hesitated, her mind instantly thinking of the bylines if she was spotted going in to Sebastian’s hotel with him. “No,” she quickly smiled. “The restaurant sounds good.”

”You sure?” he double checked, and she nodded.

”So,” Sebastian began, chewing on a bite of steak fry, “what were you going to be?”

”Be what?” Lily’s brow wrinkled in confusion.

Pointing with the rest of the fry in his fingertips, he said, “Ya know, for Halloween.”

”Oh,” she laughed, shaking her head, feeling a bit silly for her forthcoming answer. “Ang and Jeff are going to be Lily and Herman Munster and I was gonna be Morticia Addams. Had the wigs and everything.”

Sebastian chuckled, imagining it. “That would’ve been great!”

”I know,” she enthusiastically agreed. But then thinking about her cancelled plans, Lily let out a sigh, grumbling, “Stupid work.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, a frown pulling aside the corner of his mouth. He picked up his sandwich, frowning again when he noticed Lily’s sullen face. “Well, there’s always next year, right?”

”True,” she shrugged, pretty unconvincingly.

”Aw, don’t pout, Benny,” Sebastian said. He smiled, offering, “We’ll steal pillowcases from the hotel and go trick or treating. How ‘bout it?”

Lily sputtered into her drink. Setting her glass down again, she dabbed her napkin at her lips, telling him, “I think we’re a little old to get away with it.”

”Probably,” he conceded, with a crooked smile. Sebastian lit up with an idea. “Plan B? We’ll buy a shit ton of candy for ourselves and stay in an’ watch old monster movies.”

”That doesn’t sound too bad,” she grinned. “Actually, that sounds pretty good.”

“Not a bad alternative,” he agreed. “You can wear the wig and I’ll get a Kato mask, or something.”

”I still feel bad for everybody, though,” Lily admitted.

”Don’t feel bad,” he gently insisted. “I mean, we’re all here to work. I’m sure everyone understands, if we can push through this now, we won’t be here later bitching about working ‘til Thanksgiving.”

“If only we could have it both ways,” she sighed.

“Have your fun size candy and eat it, too,” he joked.

”Bas, you’re brilliant!” Lily declared.

”I know,” he grinned, with fake humility. His brow wrinkled, checking, “What exactly did I do that’s brilliant, again?”

”Having candy and eating it, too.” He shook his head and she went on. “What if we threw a Halloween party...here...for the crew. Candy, costumes. All of it.”

He didn’t mean to sound too skeptical, but he had to ask, “Is there even time to do something like that?”

Lily frowned, conceding, “No. Probably not.” The brightness returned to her face, as she thought, “But still, we could do goodie bags for everyone.”

”And you call me ridiculous?” he chuckled.

Lily pouted, picking up a fry and playing as if she were going to throw it at Sebastian. He flinched into his shoulders and she cracked a weak smile, saying, “I just feel bad. I’m not the only one who had plans.”

Sebastian sympathetically frowned. “I know,” he nodded. They went back to their food for a minute and he thought, “Maybe we could get like a food truck, or something, for everyone that day.”

Lily grinned around the straw of her drink. “You’re full of all kinds of good ideas, tonight.”

Sebastian took a moment to beam, while he chewed his bite of sandwich. Swallowing, he pointed out, “Isn’t this the part where you call Jessica and tell her your latest harebrained scheme for her to make a reality?”

This time Lily did throw the fry. Sebastian batted it down toward the table and Lily stuck her tongue out at him, before winking, “I’ll tell her later.”

On the ride back to Lily’s hotel, Lily called Jessica to discuss the feasibility of Halloween treats for the crew. They brainstormed some things to put inside goodie bags and Jessica made a list of things to check on. While Lily was filming, her assistant would get a head count of the crew and research supplies and someone to put it all together.

The filming schedule rolled on. Lily and Sebastian’s onscreen chemistry was as good as ever. And their offscreen relationship continued to improve. Lily still found little excuses to decline his offers to hangout after work, though, trying to be mindful of appearances while her PR rep and Alex’s did their work to dissolve the stars’ relationship to the public. Sebastian still heard the questions the press shouted when Lily came and went from set. And he saw Lily try to ignore them.

Some larger magazines had started picking up on the hints dropped in the blinds and were running their own columns of breakup rumors. Lily noticed she and Alex seemed to keep less in touch, as his production was gearing up to switch locations and working odd hours to try and stay on schedule despite some weather difficulties and the way her own schedule was packed. At least the story for the press wasn’t a complete exaggeration.

By the time Halloween day arrived, Jessica had once again come through. Ami drove Jessica to the set at the crack of dawn to meet the vendor who’d packaged Lily’s holiday treats. When the crew began to arrive, they were greeted with their own plastic pumpkin filled with candies, iced cookies, vampire fangs, Halloween colored beads, and spider rings. It went perfectly with the crew members who came to work in themed tees, wigs, or pieces from Halloween costumes to help keep spirits up for the extra hours in the schedule. Just before Lily arrived on set for the morning, a Starbucks truck pulled up, ready to make pumpkin spice lattes, and whatever else anyone wanted, during the long day. Sebastian had chipped in, arranging for a food truck to show up for lunch.

Throughout the day, Lily saw people rooting through their candy and trading pieces with other members of the crew. She lost track of how many times she heard “Thank you” from someone and how many apologies she offered for their cancelled time off. But for everyone of those apologies, she heard as many dismissals of needing to make one. Everyone was making the best of the situation. The day was turning out better than she thought it would.


	79. Chapter 79

After the lighting rigs were shut down, the wardrobe returned, and the crew was closing up for the night, Sebastian met Lily outside her trailer, wondering, “You all set?”

”For what?” she curiously grinned.

”Monster movie marathon,” he explained.

”What?” she giggled.

He wasn’t surprised she’d forgotten. After all, they never formalized any plans. He’d just thrown it out there. But Sebastian gave it another shot. 

“C’mon,” he smiled, as they walked toward the cars. “Some Boris Karloff. Maybe a lil’ Bela Lugosi? Ya never know, unless you come out.”

Lily laughed. “You were serious?”

”Of course,” he said, his face wrinkling in exaggerated insult. 

Biting at her lip, Lily hummed. “Mm I don’t know,” she hesitated, checking the time on her phone. “It’s kind of late. By the time we get there and-“

”Half day, tomorrow,” Sebastian optimistically reminded her. He nudged her with his elbow, coaxing again, “Come on, Benny. It’s been forever since we had a movie night.”

She didn’t have a better argument to make, and she suspected he knew it. Lily felt the guilt for trying to avoid him and caved, “Okay. One movie. It’s been a long day.”

Sebastian nodded, with a grin. “You know where to find me,” he told her, heading toward his own car and driver.

”So,” Lily shrugged, looking to Drew, “I guess we’re splitting u-“

”Ami and Brandon will take Jess home,” he finished for her. “I’ll drive you for the night.” 

“Okay,” she agreed, taking her purse off her shoulder, as she slid in to the back of the SUV. Lily poked her head back out of the car, telling her assistant, “Thanks for today, Jess. Perfect, as always.”

”No problem,” Jessica smiled.

Lily tucked herself back into the car and Drew shut the door. On the way to Sebastian’s hotel, Lily passed time reading her phone. She smiled at the dancing skeletons gif that Alex had sent her while she was working, sending him back a message hoping he had a happy Halloween. Pulling up to the hotel, Lily twisted up her hair to knot on top of her head. She zipped up her jacket and fluffed her scarf up around her chin, trying to change her appearance from when she left the set and hoping she might go unnoticed.

Drew told her he’d be waiting for her in the garage and to give him a call when she was ready to leave. Lily hopped out of the car by herself. The rationale was that she was more likely to go unnoticed alone than with Drew escorting her in. She walked confidently across the lobby, like she’d been there before, and rode the elevator up to Sebastian’s floor. The other riders were too engrossed with a video on YouTube or their phone conversation to pay her any attention. She’d made a clean entrance, but she still checked over her shoulder while she waited for her knock to be answered.

”Good evening.”

Lily burst into laughter, her hand clutching her belly at the sight of Sebastian with plastic vampire teeth in his mouth smiling at her. “Oh my god,” she wheezed.

”Care to join me for a bite?” he offered, sweeping his arm to invite her in.

Shaking her head, Lily stepped inside. She wiped her thumb at the tears building in her eyes, trying to compose herself, but he kept at it.

”What?” he innocently wondered. “Do I have something in my teeth?”

”Please, stop,” she begged, waving a hand at him, her eyes crushed closed with laughter.

Sebastian pulled the fake fangs out of his mouth and wiped a hand over his lips. “Sorry,” he chuckled.

”Where did you get those?” she asked, pointing a finger at the novelty teeth in his hand.

Pinching the plastic teeth between his thumb and fingers to make them open and close, he said, “From your gift basket.”

”Really?” she blinked. “You got one?”

”Yeah,” he grinned, dropping the fake teeth on the table and pointing to the orange bucket full of treats. “You didn’t?”

”No,” Lily shook her head, stepping over, as she unwound her scarf from her neck, to poke around in the little pumpkin shaped basket. 

“Help yourself,” he told her. Sebastian took a step closer, holding out his hand. “Take your coat?”

”Oh,” she grinned, “thank you.”

”So, I found a place that rents movies,” he said, as Lily slipped off her coat.

”Wow. Really?”

”Yeah,” he snorted. “Stopped by on the way home last night. I got Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman and House on Haunted Hill.” He held up a finger, proudly noting, “The Vincent Price one.”

”Oh, of course,” she stuffily agreed. 

Sebastian smiled, saying, “I was gonna order dinner, but I figured you probably haven’t eaten yet either, so I waited. You want Room Service, or do you want to go out...?”

Lily shook her head. “I’d rather stay in.”

”That’s fine,” he assured her, walking over to the coffee table to pick up the in-room menu. “Have a look and I’ll call it in.”

They ordered dinner and started a movie while they waited. When there was a knock on the door, Lily conveniently disappeared into the bathroom. She didn’t come out until she had heard the suite door open and close again. When she re-emerged, Sebastian was setting the plates of food on the coffee table for them to eat while they watched the movie. 

By the time they finished their meal, Sebastian had talked Lily into starting the second movie. They cleared dishes back to the tray they were delivered on and got fresh drinks from the fridge. On the way back to the couch, Sebastian brought along the bucket of candy for dessert. They took turns digging into the stash of sweets, absentmindedly passing a candy off to the other when they came up with one they didn’t want just then or disliked. When Lily realized he kept handing her the packets of Skittles he came up with, she grinned. When she noticed he’d eaten all yellow ones, she had questions.

”Don’t you want any Skittles?” she whispered, although there was no one else watching the movie to disturb but him.

Not taking his eyes off the television, he shook his head. “Nah. They’re one of your favs.”

”What happened to all the yellows?” she asked, shaking a few candies into her palm to throw in her mouth.

”And I quote,” he began, leaning over until his shoulder touched hers and hushing his voice to match her whisper, “Yellow Skittles are an abomination.” Lily snickered and he sat up straight again, shushing her with a finger to his lips. “Now, shhh.”

”Thanks,” she giggled.

”Shhh, noisy woman,” he softly insisted, pointing toward the movie still playing.

Beside him, Lily smiled to herself, enjoying her lemon-free Skittles and the rest of the movie. When it was over, she wadded up the empty candy packages and wrappers in her palm, taking them with her to throw away in the garbage, when she took her empty glass back to the Room Service tray. She sent a message to Drew that she was ready to leave and he replied he’d be waiting out front. Lily grabbed her jacket and scarf off the back of the dining chair.

”Headed out?” Sebastian noted the obvious.

Shrugging on her coat, Lily nodded. “It’s getting late.”

”It’s only 11,” he said, checking his watch.

”I know,” Lily admitted, “but I don’t want to get caught here too late.”

”Or caught here, at all,” Sebastian figured.

Lily let out a small sigh and gave a nod. “Yeah, that, too.”

Sebastian nodded his understanding. “Wouldn’t want Alex, or anyone else, to get the wrong idea,” he said, flashing a weak grin. 

“Bas...” Lily frowned.

But Sebastian cut her off, brightening his smile when he offered, “Did you need to use the phone for your ride or...?”

”Already texted,” she told him. “Thanks, though.”

”Sure,” he grinned, turning to head to the door and open it for her. “Well, I’m glad you came over. This was fun.”

”We shouldn’t wait so long between movie nights,” she agreed, adjusting her scarf as she walked behind him. Lily reached out a hand to touch his arm, adding a pleasant, “Good night.”

He turned his hand over to meet hers, as she passed. Lily paused, mid-stride, giving him a warm grin. Sebastian leaned forward to brush a kiss to her cheek, like he usually did, when things were good between them. Only this time, as Lily shifted and found her balance when she stopped, Sebastian ended up off his mark and the corner of his mouth found hers. He quickly gave an awkward apology, letting go of her hand and promising, “I didn’t mean to- Sorry. It-“

Lily tittered, feeling a flush come to her cheeks. “It was an accident,” she finished for him.

”Yeah,” he nodded, the shakiness in his worried exhale sounding like a nervous laugh. 

Lily pressed her lips together, nodding tightly. She smiled, saying again, “Good night, Bas.”

”’Night, Lil,” he smiled back, opening the door for her. Sebastian shut the door behind her, letting his forehead hit the door as it latched, with a gentle thud and a whispered, “Shit.”

In the hall, Lily’s head dropped back. She blinked at the light above her and let out a quiet groan. Glancing back at the shut door, Lily bit at the side of her lip, her tongue catching the spot Sebastian had a moment ago before her teeth did. She knew it was an accident, but she got the sense that Sebastian felt worse than he should about it. After all, they’d just made mention about how bad it would look if she was seen leaving his hotel only moments before.

She turned around and knocked on the door, intending to make her own apology and make sure there wasn’t any misunderstanding between them again. But when he opened the door for her and flashed a curious, yet patient grin, when she opened her mouth and nothing came right away, what she ended up blurting out was, “Alex and I broke up.”

Sebastian blinked, confusion knitting his brow, wondering, “What? Like, just now?”

Lily shook her head, closing her eyes tight, frustrated with herself. “No. I mean- We-“

Seeing her fumble, he offered, “Do you want to come back in?”

”No,” she helplessly sighed, shading a hand over her eyes. “I just-“ She dropped her hand to her side with a small huff. “I just wanted you to know, it’s not a big deal. What just happened, when you- Don’t worry about it.”

Sebastian stammered himself, still a little thrown and stuck on the news he’d just heard. “When? I mean, you know, are you okay?”

”Yeah. Yeah,” she waved him off. “It’s fine. It was mutual. It was awhile ago. Before the supermodel disaster.”

He couldn’t help the snort that escaped him. “Sorry,” he held up a hand. “It’s not funny. It’s just, what you called it was. I don’t mean to laugh at your-“ His brow wrinkled again, pointing at her and realizing, “Wait. _Before_ the disaster? But he was still there, being all... Well, like, holding your hand and stuff. I saw him kis-”

Lily winced. “Yeah, we thought it was best to-“ Lily sighed, with a long blink. “Never mind. We...just work better as friends.”

”Well...” Sebastian paused, exhaling to stall and process the new information, before saying, “As long as you’re okay with it.” He quickly added, “The breakup, I mean.” He pointed over his shoulder to his suite. “Not the...thing that just happened there, with the...uhh...” He carded a hand through the side of his hair. “That’s still not okay,” he questioned, “is it?”

”It’s...” she hesitated, “not as not okay as it was before, I guess.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “It’s not?”

Lily flashed a bashful grin. “It’s not,” she shyly confirmed.

She was startled by boisterous laughter, her head snapping down the hall toward the elevators to see a small group of costumed partiers bumbling into the hallway. Sebastian peeked out the door, at hearing the noise. He waved her back in and Lily jumped through the doorway. He quickly shut the door behind them and Lily held her breath, hearing the drunken party goers walk by outside. She covered her mouth with her hand, giggling at how close she came to being seen, regardless of whether or not anyone was sober enough to recognize her.

Sebastian squinted out the peephole, as Lily swore, “Holy shit, that was close.”

He grinned, seeing her put her hands to her face and push them back over her hair. “I think they’re gone,” he nodded.

“I really need to go,” she laughingly decided.

An idea came to him and Sebastian held up a finger for her to wait. “Hold on.”

Lily looked on, as Sebastian walked away and disappeared to his bedroom. A minute later, he came back out, holding a plain black hoodie, announcing, “Here.” He stuck out the shirt for her to take. “Put this on. It’ll be warm enough for a trip to the car, and you can hide a little better with the hood.”

”Genius,” she conceded, with a thoughtful pout.

”Well, I mean, it’s not worth $350,” he teased, “but it’ll be good enough for tonight.”

”Ass,” she muttered, with a crooked grin.

”You can leave your coat, if you want,” he suggested. “I’ll bring it tomorrow for you.”

Lily took her jacket back off, giving it to Sebastian with one hand and taking his sweatshirt with the other. She pulled the oversized hoodie on. Lily fished her phone from her jacket pocket and took her scarf to wear, before Sebastian laid her coat over the back of the nearest chair. He pocketed his hands in his jeans, while she smoothed her hair and arranged her scarf with Sebastian’s shirt.

She gave him a nod. “Thanks.”

”No problem,” he shrugged, taking in the sight of her in his sweatshirt, with a charmed grin.

Lily turned for the door again. “Drew’s waiting. He’ll be starting to worry. Don’t need him storming the door,” she joked.

“We’ll catch up tomorrow,” he said, looking for an out to the awkward moment he felt building. “Drew’s probably pacing a rut into a floor somewhere.”

”I don’t think he worries when I’m with you,” she meekly grinned. “But I should go.”

”Before someone sees you,” he nodded, understandingly.

Lily nodded, shyly, as she took a step backward for the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”

”Good night,” he smiled.

She gave a small wave, letting herself out. Lily took the stairs down, coming out on the side of the lobby. She spotted the SUV parked at the curb out front and running. She opened the back door for herself, hopping in and twisting to grab her seatbelt to pull on.

”Everything alright?” Drew asked, checking his blind spot before he pulled into traffic.

”Yeah,” Lily nodded. “Just had to wait out a few people in the hallway.”


	80. Chapter 80

Back at her hotel, Lily snapped on the lights to her suite and stopped, dumbfounded by what she saw on the table. Shutting and locking the door behind her, Lily marveled at the enormous arrangement of dahlias displayed on her dining table. The large blooms, with soft shades of peach and pink dissolving into creamy white petals, took over the table, practically spilling out of their large, crowded vase. Laid on the table, in front of the vase, was a card.

Lily put her room key down and picked up the card, eagerly thumbing open the small envelope, curious to know where they’d come from. She barked out a laugh, reading, “Admit it. These are ridiculous.” The card wasn’t signed, but she knew who sent them. Lily pulled her phone from the front pocket of Sebastian’s sweatshirt.

Lily: Well, this is embarrassing

She sent the message and followed it up with a picture of her dahlias. Lily leaned over the table, taking a breath of the flowers before going upstairs to change. At the top of the stairs, she paused, realizing she’d been grinning for no reason. She dropped her phone on the nightstand, while she washed her face and dressed for bed. When she was finished changing, she checked her phone for a reply, wondering if maybe Sebastian had gone to sleep after she left. 

Seb: Ridiculous.

Seb: Who would do such a thing?

Lily grinned, dropping onto the side of the mattress and sitting cross legged as she typed.

Lily: I can think of only one man so sinister...

...

Sebastian turned off the light in the living room, on his way to his bedroom. He chuckled to himself, typing with one thumb, as his free hand blindly fumbled over the wall to find the next light switch.

Seb: Been meaning to send those for awhile. 

Lily: They’re beautiful! Thank you

He beamed, toeing off his shoes when he sat on the side of the bed and typed. He could imagine how smug Lisa would be after hearing the flowers were a hit.

Seb: Thought you’d like them :) Hoped they’d make you smile after all the schedule trouble

Lily: I did smile.

Lily: You remember the weirdest things

Sebastian grinned to himself, pulling his t-shirt off overhead and tossing it to the end of the bed, before doing the same to his jeans. He sent a reply, telling her, that’s what friends are for, before slipping into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Coming back to his phone, he saw he’d missed a message.

Lily: How did you pull this off? I’ve never seen so many dahlias stuffed into a vase. Lol

He proudly smiled.

Seb: I told them to just cram as many as they had in there. Tastefully of course

...

Lily laughed out loud.

Lily: They must have cleaned out the whole store for them

Seb: You deserve them all

Seb: But I have one question

Lily: Don’t keep me waiting

Seb: Who has to clean up all those petals when you start pulling at them to find out if he loves you?

Shaking her head, Lily bit her lip and smiled. She hesitated before she replied, holding her breath as she hit send.

Lily: These are too beautiful to play with

Seb: Good. Poor Jessica needs a vacation anyway

Seb: Get some rest Benny. See you in the a.m.

Lily: Goodnight

Lily slept until her alarm went off. She stretched into the morning feeling well rested. She pulled on a robe over her camisole and shorts and stepped into her slippers, before heading downstairs. Jessica was already awake and had let herself into the suite. She was working on her MacBook at the dining table, with a stack of mail and paperwork beside her.

”It’s chilly in here,” Lily observed, wrapping her robe to close around her, “don’t you think?”

”Little bit,” Jessica nodded, uncrossing her legs to stand from the table. “It’s cold out this morning.”

Lily leaned over to take in a sniff of her flowers, while Jessica went to adjust the thermostat. “Those were waiting downstairs, last night,” she said. “They’re incredible! Who were they from?”

”From Sebastian,” Lily said, pulling out a chair and dragging over the stack of mail to thumb through.

”There’s a couple ‘thank you’ cards in there,” Jessica pointed out, on her way into the kitchen, “and invitations for the holidays. And speaking of Christmas, I need an answer on the White House Christmas Party.” Her voice rose, as she disappeared into the next room. “And while we’re at it, let me know if there’s anything else you want me to RSVP for, for you and Alex.”

”Oh,” Lily blinked, putting aside the first invitation she came across, sorting between regular mail and appearances. “Yeah. Sure.”

Lily tore open an envelope, giving a glance to her flowers. She bit at her lip, thinking ahead to the holiday event season. She usually made several appearances, if her schedule allowed. She hadn’t considered the upcoming parties yet and it occurred to her that the most sensible thing to do was to go by herself or take someone like Angela with her. Her publicist, Mark, had given her a date that he and Alex’s rep were going to make an official announcement about her breakup with Alex on. It was a week before Thanksgiving. Lily considered the sensation it would cause if she showed up anywhere for Christmas with someone new so soon, let alone Sebastian.

”I made coffee,” Jessica said, coming back into the room to put a cup of the steamy liquid down in front of Lily. “Did you want to order breakfast or go out?”

”Room Service,” Lily decided, her fingertip tracing the gold script embossed on the next invitation, before flipping it open to read. “The usual, please.”

Jessica picked up the hotel phone to call in Lily’s breakfast order. Lily made a quick count of the holiday invites in front of her and was back to worrying her lip. She felt an anxiousness building in her belly, as she opened the next card and read. Lily shook her head, putting down the invitation and standing up. She headed back for the stairs, telling Jessica, when she asked if something was wrong, that she had just forgotten her phone in her room. Upstairs Lily grabbed her phone and dialed, nervously counting the rings on the other end of the line, as she fidgeted with the sides of her robe, sitting cross legged on the bed.

”MmphHello?”

”I can’t do this,” Lily blurted out.

”Lily? What are y- What time is it?” Alex fumbled.

Lily winced, covering her eyes with her hand. “I’m sorry,” she whined. “I know. I know it’s early. I’m sorry, I woke you up.”

”That’s okay,” he assured her, sounding a little more awake. “Are you okay? What’s going on? What can’t you do?”

”This,” she sighed. “You and me. This whole thing. I- I can’t-“

“Lily, sweetheart, calm down,” he soothed. “Take a deep breath...and tell me what’s going on.”

Lily did as she was told, breathing in slowly through her nose and out again. “I did something...last night.”

”What did you do?”

Lily folded over herself, resting her forehead on the mattress. “Last night, Sebastian and I were- I told him about you and me. I’m sorry. I know we weren’t supposed to tell anyone.”

The moment’s pause was excruciatingly long for Lily, before Alex said, “So, he knows.”

”Sort of,” she said. “I didn’t go into the details.”

”But he knows you and I aren’t actually dating anymore,” he finished for her, and she hummed her reply. Alex’s voice brightened, saying, “So, that’s good news then, isn’t it?”

”Is it?” she worried.

”Sounds like it,” she heard the shrug in his voice. “I thought he had a thing for you. I saw somewhere that it looked like him and what’s-her-face split up. You said it was complicated, but I thought you had a thing for him, too. Now that he knows and everyone’s single again, seems less complicated.”

Lily sat up to rest against the headboard behind her. “I know,” she agreed. She shook her head. “It should be, but it’s not. With this bullshit in the press, it’s still complicated. I was just going through the mail, looking at invitations to holiday dinners and parties, and I started to panic. What am I supposed to do? What do I say? Do I show up by myself? I can’t bring him with me. The paparazzi go everywhere, asking about you and still pushing this affair rumor with Sebastian. It’ll ruin everything we’ve been doing. Am I supposed to go and hide?”

”Lil, hon, you’re doing it again,” he gently pointed out, and she closed her eyes tight, turning her head up to the ceiling. “You’re getting yourself all worked up. It’s okay. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. You don’t have to go to anyone’s party, if you don’t want to. You don’t have to pose for anyone or answer any questions. And you don’t have to hide, either. If you want to go, then go. Bad press be damned. Do whatever feels right, whether it’s with him or not. You know you’re not going to hurt my feelings, whatever you do.” He gave her a moment before, pressing, “Okay, Lily?”

”Yeah,” she nodded. “Okay.”

”You feel better?” Lily hummed and he went on, “What can I do, Lil?”

”Nothing,” she told him, pinning on a thin grin at his thoughtfulness. “Nothing,” she shook her head. “I just- I was just freaking out a little. I’m so sorry I woke you. Go back to bed.”

”No. No, it’s fine, Lil, really,” Alex excused. “I’ve got to be up early, anyway.”

“But not _this_ early...”

”It’s okay, Lil,” he promised, “really. Everything’s gonna be fine.”

Whether he was telling the truth or not was hard to say, but Lily smiled at the small relief his soothing voice gave her. She asked how the shoot was going and they chatted for a few minutes about work, before letting each other go. Lily went back downstairs to pass time going through the rest of the mail and drinking coffee with Jessica, before breakfast was served and her work day began.

On the day’s first break, Sebastian heard Lily was in her trailer, hiding from the cold, damp air. He passed Jessica on her way to the craft services tent and told her there was a bag in his trailer with Lily’s coat in it, quickly explaining how she had left it behind. She promised she would get it back to Lily, with a smile. Outside Lily’s trailer, he smiled at Drew and his partners standing with him.

”Maximus,” Sebastian nodded toward Drew. “She busy?” he checked, tipping his head toward the trailer door.

Drew smirked and shook his head. He raised his chin toward the door, “Go on.”

Sebastian knocked and waited for a reply. He looked over at Ami and Brandon, realizing, “Fuck. I’m gonna run out of ideas, if I have to start naming all of you.”

Drew chuckled, and Ami and Brandon smiled. From the other side of the door, Sebastian heard Lily say to come in. He let himself in and shut the door behind him. Lily was just coming up from the back of her trailer, an oversized cardigan wrapped around her and a hot cup of tea in one hand. She smiled her hello and he grinned back.

”Hey,” he said. Sebastian jerked his thumb toward the door, saying, “I brought back your coat. I saw Jess, outside. Told her it’s in my trailer. I thought maybe it’d look weird if I walked over here with it.”

”Probably,” Lily agreed.

”Didn’t think people would buy it, if I wore it over, either,” he quipped.

Lily snickered, shaking her head, as she curled up at the end of the couch in the trailer’s living area. “Want something to drink?” she offered, gesturing with her mug for him to sit down.

”No. I'm good,” he declined, moving her copy of the script to sit down. She held out her hand for the book and he passed it to her, as he led in, “About last night...”

”Yeah?” she carefully asked.

“I was just wondering when it might be okay enough to see if you wanted to come back for dinner again, or a movie or something,” he said. “I know you said that you and Alex broke up. And I know you know me and Gabriella broke up.” Lily sipped her tea and nodded, as he talked. “But I also know how...skittish you get sometimes. And last night, with you worrying about sneaking out of the hotel and being seen, I thought...maybe we should talk about some things.”

”You want to know about me and Alex,” she figured. “About our arrangement?”

”Arrangement?” he repeated.

”We broke up a few days before the party,” Lily confessed. “We had this idea...” She dropped and shook her head, snuffling a laugh at herself. “We thought we could save face, if we set up a slow split in the press. There’d be no scandal and people would think it was amicable and wouldn’t judge anybody for another failed Hollywood relationship.” She waved a hand back at herself. “Well, wouldn’t judge me, anyway,” she corrected. “It’d just be a sad story about people drifting away from each other because of work. He came up with it himself, instead of just calling it quits, when we realized we were better as friends.”

”That’s nice of him,” Sebastian had to admit.

Lily nodded, reminding him, “I told you, he‘s a good guy.”

Sebastian nodded, with a soft snort. “Yeah, I know.”

”And then Gabriella came along,” she swung out her hand, “and ruined everything, running her mouth, insinuating you and I had something going on.”

A long exhale puffed out Sebastian’s cheeks. “I’m sorry, Lil,” he swept his head. “I honestly didn’t know she w-“

“It’s okay,” Lily told him. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“I actually meant to ask you about the other stuff you said last night,” he explained. “I was wondering about you ‘n me.” Sebastian swallowed, finding the nerve to specify, “I don’t want to make anything more complicated than it already is, but...I never really got an answer, last night, about whether or not we stood a chance.”

“You mean, like...” Lily pointed a finger back and forth between them, and he gave a nod. “Oh. ...I don’t know.”

Lily didn’t know what else to say. On the one hand, she didn’t know what the appropriate mourning period should be for the end of her relationship with Alex. The press seeing her “move on” too quickly would discount all the work her publicist and Alex’s had put into their carefully executed split. As it was, they were getting everyone’s sympathy, with magazines and online sources optimistically hoping for her and Alex to pull through and let the pending breakup rumors be just that. It could ruin her chance for a clean get away, with no accusations of infidelity or other bad behavior, if she was seen with Sebastian too soon.

And then it occurred to her, seeing the cautious optimism in his expression, how much she’d let her worrying about her image hold her back. She had always tried to be so careful, but no matter what she did right, scandal sells and she inevitably ended up fighting against bad press and flat out lies, no matter what she did. It was exhausting. In the end, the press twisted or wrote what they wanted.

But somehow, Lily was always still on top. New scripts still came in and she had more offers for work than she could ever accept. Her box office gross kept her at or near the top of most powerful and most bankable lists in Hollywood every year. Fans still wanted her autograph and little girl’s wanted to be her when they grew up. It didn’t matter what anyone ever wrote or said. Every storm always blew over, and Lily was always still standing. And Sebastian was still standing next her, even now.

”That’s okay,” he accepted. “Maybe-“

”No,” she decided, with a sweep of her head, “it’s not.” Sebastian shook his head, not understanding, and she explained, “It’s not okay. You deserve a better answer than that.”

”Too soon,” he excused, with a shrug.

Lily took a deep breath. “You’ve always been so good to me,” she told him. “So patient. You’ve been such a good friend. So good, I don’t deserve you.” Lily shook her head, feeling the heat come up behind her eyes. “I have no idea why you even still talk to me,” she admitted, “let alone why you‘d give me your sweatshirt to hide in and eat all the yellow Skittles or send me dahlias.” Lily turned up a helpless hand. “I mean, how do you even remember stuff like that?” she tittered. Shaking her head, she went on, “And after all the bullshit you put up with from me... How can you still want to ask me out?”

”Because, I love you, Lil,” he shrugged, knowing the answer was obvious.

Lily bit at her lip, studying the sincerity in his face for a moment before she worried, “You’ve been my best friend for so long, I just don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”

”I’m not going anywhere,” he promised. “I don’t want to lose you, either.” He tentatively reached out a hand to place on her knee, giving a reassuring squeeze, admitting, “I think about that all the time. I’d never do anything to hurt you or make you leave, Lil. You know that.”

”Nobody ever means to,” she said, “but they always do.” She gave a small shake of her head, her eyes drifting to his hand on her leg. “It’s so different for people like you and me. All the pressure, the scrutiny. It’s harder. ...And it scares the hell out of me.”

He gave a solemn nod. “I know,” he conceded. “For all the good luck it looks like we have, the bad seems to be even worse, sometimes, right? ...But Lil,” he argued, “we’ve already seen the bad. We know what to expect.”

”Yeah,” she softly agreed.

“We already know practically everything about each other,” he reminded her, giving her knee a gentle nudge under his hand. “That’s an advantage, right? We already know each other’s annoying habits and lame jokes.”

Lily’s laugh was snuffled by her face turning down into her hand for a moment. “You already know I’m neurotic as hell and seen what a mess I am in the morning without my makeup team.”

”Mornings aren’t so bad,” Sebastian smiled. “I like those little shorts you sleep in sometimes.” Lily laughed, swatting half heartedly at him to scold him for teasing when she meant to be serious. “I don’t care how crazy you are, Benny,” he told her. “You’re still one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met, inside and out. I’d do anything to make you happy.

“I don’t mean to push,” he promised. “It’s just...it kind of kept me up last night, wondering what I should say. Or should I even say anything. I think you know, I wanna give us a shot. I kinda think you do, too. But I know the timing is a little off.

“Your plan with Alex was probably a smart move,” he agreed. “I don’t want to ruin any of that. I know the press is pretty merciless with you, sometimes. So, if you really did wanna try...I could wait a little while longer, before, you know, I ask again, or whatever.”

Lily believed him. Not that she ever thought he had lied to her before or would, but her past experiences still made her cautious and worrisome.

”Shouldn’t you be giving me the ‘we’ve already waited so long’ speech?” she gently teased.

She had him there, and he nodded. “Yeah,” he chuckled, a bit awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his neck. “That sounds more like me.”

Her smile slowly dissolved and her fingernail scratched at nothing on the side of her mug resting on the arm of the couch. “I don’t know that I’m ready,” she shook her head. Lily looked up to Sebastian, as she said, “But I don’t think you should have to wait forever to be happy, either. Don’t you think I’ve made you wait long enough?”

He shook his head, slowly. Despite his disappointment, he knew, ”I’d wait forever for you, Lil. I don’t want to rush you.”

A shy smile came to her and she shaded her forehead with her hand. Sebastian was endeared by her reaction and gave her an easy grin. Leaving her mug to balance on the arm of the couch, Lily shifted in her seat to lean into his side. He lifted his arm to fold around her shoulders, resting his head on top of hers.

“I’m just a little gun-shy,” she confessed. “I’ve had my share of...bad breakups. In the press, I mean. Once they get ahold of something...” Lily gave a small shake of her head. “I don’t know if this thing with Alex is gonna work or not. If it doesn’t? The fallout. All the nickpicking and criticism. They'll make it my fault, because I have a track record of being a mess and Alex...? Well, he doesn't. And if you and I started something too soon... I seem to screw things up...a lot, lately. I wouldn’t want to do that to you.”

“You don’t have to be perfect, Lil,” he reminded her. “We all screw up, sometimes. That’s okay. I don’t think this would be a mistake, for either of us.”

”We can be perfectly imperfect together?” she joked, and he grinned.

“Well, I didn’t say _I_ was imperfect,” he playfully corrected and Lily gave his knee a gentle push. Sebastian snickered and told her, “Believe me, I know I don’t have my shit together all the time, either.”

“They’d start attacking you, too,” she warned. “You don’t deserve that.”

”You don’t deserve it, either,” he insisted. “I’m not worried about what the press’ll say. As long as you’re happy with me, I don’t care what they say.”

”It’d be hard,” she worried, “with so much space in between us.”

”Yeah,” he knew, straightening up to see her. He combed her hair back behind her ear with his fingertips, his eyes following his hand and then wandering over her face. “But I’ll be in LA after this, for a little while. We can take some time, find something that works. I’m willing to try, if you are. I think we can do it. I think we’ll be okay. We just gotta be patient with each other.”


	81. Chapter 81

There was a knock on the trailer door, before the handle turned. Sebastian quickly withdrew his arm from Lily and she leaned back to her spot at the end of the couch. A second later, Jessica came through the door, carrying Lily’s coat from the night before.

”Thanks, Jess,” Lily smiled, straighten her hair behind her ear for a distraction.

She shared a quick side eye glance with Sebastian, when Jessica had turned away from them. He looked just as startled as she felt. They both broke into shy grins at the other and looked away.

”No problem,” Jessica pleasantly assured her, as she hung the coat on the rack by the door. Jessica pointed to her laptop on the small dining table and told Lily, “I got a message from Mark. He forwarded you a mock up of your Vanity Fair cover and said that the next video will be out online tomorrow.”

”You have the cover?” Sebastian asked, completely forgetting Jessica’s interruption. “Let’s see it.”

Lily made an unintelligible grumble, hiding behind her hand. “Do we have to?”

Sebastian smiled at her bashfulness and insisted, “Yes, we must.” He stood up to join Jessica at the table. “I wanna see.”

”Me, too,” Jessica agreed, opening up her MacBook.

Sebastian stood behind Jessica’s seat, eagerly waiting for her to wake up her laptop and get into her email. Lily stayed where she was on the couch, drinking her tea. Sebastian snorted and shook his head at her lack of enthusiasm.

”Don’t you want to see?” he frowned.

”I’ll see,” she assured him. “Eventually.”

”Vanity Fair, Benny,” Sebastian eagerly reminded her. “The cover. _Again_.”

”Here,” Jessica announced, and he turned his attention to the computer again, as Jessica opened the attachment.

”My god, Lil,” he marveled. “You’re beautiful.”

From the couch, she leaned up on her elbow, trying to peek at the screen. “Is it okay?” she worried.

”Okay?!” he gaped. “Lil, it’s incredible! It’s like...” Sebastian searched for the words. “It’s like Grace Kelly beautiful.”

Jessica got up, taking her laptop over to Lily. “You look amazing,” she gushed.

Lily’s hand went to her mouth, as her assistant presented her the cover. Her breath caught, reading the text overlaid on the stunning black and white image. “Becoming Lily Benjamin. Queen of the Silver Screen: Hollywood’s crown jewel and the woman they all bow to” “A 25 year love affair with America’s Sweetheart”

“See?” Sebastian begged, moving to join her on the couch again. “Look at that! That’s incredible,” he insisted.

Lily gave a slow nod of agreement, still a little dumbfounded. “Holy shit,” she breathed out. She swept her head. “I was not expecting that.”

Jessica smiled, proudly, twisting the laptop in her hands to take another look. “I can’t wait to read this,” she nodded to herself.

”Me, too,” Sebastian seconded. “Congratulations, Benny.”

“Thank you,” Lily blushed, more than a little shied by the fuss over just the mock up of a magazine. Despite her embarrassment at the attention, Lily still smiled. She knew how hard Mark had worked for her, lately, and the payoff was going to be everything they hoped it would be. And the devil on Lily’s shoulder could not have been more pleased with the cover. She took a quiet moment for herself, reveling in the fact that a cover like this would outclass Gabriela and get Lily some much need love in the press again.

Sebastian couldn’t contain his happiness for her. He threw his arms around Lily’s shoulders, pulling her in to a bear hug. Lily squealed in surprise, laughing as she managed to get an arm around his side. He planted a noisy kiss into the top of her head, telling her how exciting it all was.

“We should celebrate,” he suggested, letting her go.

Lily winced, smoothing her hair as she sat up again. “The magazine's not even out yet,” she argued. “I don’t want to jinx it.”

Sebastian pointed a finger at Jessica, asking, “When does the magazine come out?”

“November 5th. Thursday.”

”November 5th, we're having a party,” he decided. “Put it on the calendar.”

Jessica giggled, turning away to put down her laptop and take out her phone. “On it.”

”For a magazine cover?” Lily snorted. “No. That’s absurd.”

”You’re absurd,” he said, giving her an offended once over, before he broke into a smile again.

”We’re not having a party,” she swept her head.

”Fine,” he shrugged. “Then we’re going out to dinner, a bar... Something! We should celebrate.”

”Fine,” Lily groaned, in defeat. “Whatever.”

Lily was grateful that the scenes they filmed for the rest of the day were relatively simple and on the lighter side of the script. It made the day go by quickly and helped her ignore the butterflies in her belly, after her talk with Sebastian. She felt a bit unsteady around him, not sure what to say or if she was saying too much to him. She was overly aware of the spectators and paparazzi at the edge of the set, whenever she wasn’t doing a scene. She knew it was ridiculous, but she couldn’t help feeling everyone knew something was up.

When it was over, she and Sebastian exchanged a small wave goodbye, while he was leaving the Wardrobe trailer and she was already nearing her car for the ride home. The next few days were basically the same. She wasn’t avoiding him, but she made it a point to keep the conversations airy. He seemed to be doing the same. Lily tuned in to the stiffness in his posture when they were just standing around between takes. It made for a couple awkward silences. Whenever the other one picked up on it, they’d make a face and laugh it off though. No one else seemed to notice.

Lily had forgotten the nonsense about Sebastian’s insistence of celebrating her magazine cover. That is, until he caught up with her on set, first thing in the morning on Thursday to remind her and tell her the name of the restaurant he’d made a reservation at. Naturally, Lily balked at the idea, saying she didn’t think he was serious. She should have known better. After all, it was Sebastian.

There was a plan for a late dinner. Filming didn’t shut down for the day until just after 8. The reservation was for 9. Jessica had made a trip back to the hotel, earlier in the day, for a dress and accessories for Lily. Hair and Makeup stuck around a little while longer, helping Lily look her best for her little party. Once they heard about it that morning, Vivian and the girls all but insisted.

They were flipping through the magazine, when Lily came in to be restyled. It wasn’t the first copy Lily had seen on set that day. She spotted several fans waving them in the air from where they were allowed to gather near set. Of course, Jessica had a copy for Lily, and one for her and the boys to look through over breakfast. Frankly, Lily found all the fuss a bit embarrassing, but more than that, she appreciated the positive attention it was receiving. She had gotten a few text messages from her publicist, throughout the day, forwarding her compliments and congratulations she had received via messages and calls to his office for the cover. Lily was most assuredly riding high.

At the restaurant, Lily arrived a few fashionable minutes late. A couple of paparazzi tailed her SUVs, stopping in the road when Ami pulled her car to the curb. Drew was out of the second car and at Lily’s door in an instant, ready to move her and Jessica inside quickly. Ami and Brandon followed inside, a minute later, after leaving the cars to the valet staff. They stationed themselves near the hostess station to casually warn off any photographer who tried to come in while simultaneously obstructing the view into the main dining room from the front door. Drew followed Lily and her assistant, as she was shown to a small private event room in the back.

Lily’s breath hitched, caught in an excited gasp and held behind her hand covering her mouth in surprise. The room was decorated with balloons and a banner of congratulations. On a stand in the corner, near a small bar off to the side, was a poster size version of her Vanity Fair cover. But what delighted her so much in the first place was the group of friends who burst into cheers of “surprise” and “congratulations” when she walked into the room and the doors shut behind her for the party’s privacy.

Angela rushed toward her, throwing her arms around Lily for a tight hug. She kissed her cheek and gushed about how wonderfully the cover had turned out. Lily was stilled stunned to see her and her husband in front of her. Jeff kissed her cheek, his hands occupied by glasses of champagne for himself and his wife. While everyone else gathered around Lily, her publicist reached in to hand Lily a glass of champagne for herself.

Lily was overwhelmed, fanning a hand at her face to keep back tears of happiness. “Oh, my god,” she smiled, taking a look around to see who all was there. “What is happening? I thought we were just having dinner.”

”I may have made some phone calls,” Jessica meekly suggested.

”Don’t blame her,” Sebastian spoke up. “I asked her to.”

Besides her management team and Jeff and Angela, her director and a couple producers were there, and a handful of friends from LA that were part of the regular crew with Angela. After a few minutes, the room started to settle down again and the space around Lily gave her room to take it all in. Looking around, Lily did a double take. Standing off to the side, with Sebastian, were Eddie and Lisa. Lily made a beeline for them.

Lily opened her arms, giving them each a hug, as she wondered, “What are you doing in Portland? Who's minding the kitchens in New York?”

Eddie laughed, seeming a bit shy when he mentioned, “Seb said you were having dinner. I asked if you needed dessert...” He shrugged. “So, I made you tiramisu.”

Lily’s jaw slacked open. “ _No_.”

”Yes,” Lisa nodded, with a giddy grin.

”It’s in the kitchen,” Eddie promised, with a nod.

“You came all the way out here to make me tiramisu?” Lily balked.

Eddie shrugged, as if it were nothing. “Why not?” he smiled.

”And to tell you how great your article is,” Lisa added.

”She was at the newsstand at 7 o’clock this morning,” Eddie bragged. “Couldn’t wait.”

”Please stop,” Lily blushed. She turned to Sebastian, who looked innocent behind his drink of champagne. “You made them come out here to make dessert?”

”Don’t look at me,” he held up a hand in surrender. “He offered. I couldn’t stop him.”

”It’s nothing,” Eddie assured her. “Friend of a friend has a restaurant out here, let me use a corner of his kitchen.” He waved a dismissive hand. “It was nothing.”

Lily was moved to the verge of tears again. She gave Eddie and Lisa another hug, telling them, “That’s incredible. Thank you so much for being here.”

...

It took awhile, but the surprise wore off for Lily and she got over the embarrassment for the fuss being made over her. Everyone enjoyed a three course meal, laughing and sharing stories. Photographs and selfies were taken, and at the end of the meal, the wait staff wheeled out Eddie's tiramisu on a small cart to serve. Lily cut the first piece, careful to avoid the script of rich looking chocolate drizzle that congratulated her again.

Some friends and Lily’s team were just in town for the night, heading back to Los Angeles in the morning for work. Angela and Jeff were taking their time, taking an extra pair of days for their visit to see the sights and enjoy a little time together from the baby. Eddie and Lisa were sticking around for a day or so to sample some cuisine and get in another evening with Sebastian. The party wound down after a few hours of food and drinks. By the end of the night, it was Lily and Sebastian and their close friends gathered together at the end of one of the long dining tables set up for the party.

“I can’t thank you guys enough,” Lily sheepishly offered, her fingertip lazily circling the top of her glass on the table. “I wasn’t expecting this _at all_. Honestly, I was just going to kind of ignore it.” There was an insulted protest of boos and no’s and Lily put up her hands to stop them, ducking her head. “I know. I know. But...I’m glad you did. This was great,” she admitted. “I’m so happy to see everyone. Thank you.”

”Aww,” Angela cooed, leaning over to rest her head on Lily’s shoulder. “Anything for you, babe.” Lily tipped her head to her friend’s for a moment and Angela reached over with her fork to take a bite of Lily’s second piece of tiramisu. “Although, next time, I vote for some place more extravagant than Portland,” she quipped. “How ‘bout Paris?”

”I’ll try to plan my schedule better, next time,” Lily sarcastically promised, and everyone laughed.

”And there will be a next time,” Angela insisted, with a confident nod and raise of her glass. “To Lily!” she toasted.

”To Lily!” everyone agreed, lifting their glasses to clink together.

Across from her, Sebastian wore a faint grin, admiring Lily and pleased that she had enjoyed herself. Whether or not she thought she deserved it, Sebastian knew she did. He had worried about whether or not she would be upset with him for making a bigger deal of the night than he had led her to believe it would be. A short notice surprise party was a gamble, but most everyone he and Jessica had invited was able to make it. He couldn’t have asked for it to have gone any better.

Lily blushed, taking her glass from her lips and seeing Sebastian watching her. She flashed a shield smile and took up her fork, taking a bite of her dessert as Angela complimented Eddie and asked about his resaurants back in New York. She listened to the conversation, finishing her tiramisu and drink. She waved off Angela, when she pulled an open bottle from an ice bucket on the table to fill her glass again. After all, she explained, she still had work in the morning. The conversation turned to Lily and Sebastian’s film, with everyone chiming in how eager they were to see it.

“We should all go to the premier together,” Lily suggested.

”You think there’ll be one in New York?” Lisa hopefully wondered.

“If there isn’t,” Angela said, “then you should come to LA.”

”They’ll probably be one of each,” Sebastian reasoned, accepting the champagne bottle over the table from Angela to pour himself a half glass. “We’ll do them both.”

”How fun would that be?!” Angela smiled. She waved a hand at everyone, telling them, “Clear your calendars, now. It’s a date.”

”We don’t even have a release date yet,” Sebastian laughed.

”I don’t care,” Angela shook her head. “I’m making plans and buying dresses when I get home.”

Everyone shared a laugh and Jeff put his arm around his wife’s shoulders, teasing, “I think someone’s had enough for one night.”

“We should probably all call it a night,” Sebastian reluctantly noted. Looking to Lily, he reminded everyone, “We still have work in the morning.”

”It’s been a long day,” Eddie admitted, before dotting a kiss to Lisa’s cheek. “Time for bed.”

While the group stood and began to gather their things, Drew stepped up to tell Lily the cars were waiting outside. He checked with Sebastian, asking if he needed a ride. Sebastian declined, telling him he was going to share a ride with his friends. They were all at the same hotel, anyway. Angela and Jeff had rented a car for while they were in town and Drew took their valet ticket to have their car brought around, while everyone said their goodbyes.

”What are we going to do with... _that_?” Lily checked, pointing at the poster of her magazine cover.

Angela turned to Jessica, insisting, “Send it to my house. It’s going over the mantle.”

”No, it’s not,” Jeff assured everyone.

”Jessica,” Angela firmly said, “I need this in my home.”

”Dear god,” Lily winced, hiding under her hand at her brow.

Laughing, Jessica nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

Jessica took the poster outside and Angela hugged Lily, telling her she would find someplace good to hang the poster print. “Or don’t,” Lily brightly suggested. “The trash is a good place, too, ya know.”

”Ha ha,” Angela sneered, before puckering a noisy kiss to Lily’s cheek. “You’re too pretty for the trash, baby.”

”Thank you, dear,” Lily smiled, as Angela pinched her butt.

”Any time, hot stuff,” Angela winked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](http://s1347.photobucket.com/user/scotirishgirl/media/B5FAF631-97AE-4C8E-800F-C409212D6D49_zpsdncrqmkn.jpeg.html)   
> 


	82. Chapter 82

Angela and Jeff said their goodbyes to Sebastian and told Eddie and Lisa how lovely it was to meet them. The couples started out of the door first, chatting on their way about looking forward to meeting again for the premiers. Sebastian was waiting with Lily’s coat, when she turned around.

“Did you have fun, Benny?” he asked, holding her coat open for her to slip her arms into.

Lily nodded, shrugging her coat onto her shoulders and flipping her hair over the collar. “I did,” she promised, with an appreciative smile. ”Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Benny,” he said, stepping in to hug her.

“You said it was just dinner,” she reminded him, giving him a squeeze. “You didn’t have to do all of this.”

“Sure I did,” he sweetly insisted, squeezing her back. “You deserve it.”

“I don’t know about that,” she meekly disagreed, pulling away from him enough to see him.

She turned her eyes down at the look he gave her, when he gently started, “Lil...”

“We’re not doing this here, are we?” she asked, taking back a hand to nervously tuck her hair behind her ear. “A restaurant full of people on the other side of that door...”

Sebastian’s hand followed hers, touching her hair behind her ear and tracing his fingertips down her jaw before he brushed her hair back over her shoulder. He shook his head. “I just wanted to tell you how beautiful you look tonight,” he explained.

“With your hand on my waist and your hand in my hair?” she pointed out, a soft titter and weak grin trying to mask her nervousness.

”If that’s the only place they can be...” he told her, bowing his forehead to hers.

“Another booze fueled mistake?” Lily shook her head against his, her eyes down and transfixed by the way he bit his lip.

“No. Not tonight,” Sebastian assured her, his voice hushed for being so close, his fingers curling around the side of her neck and thumb sweeping softly along her cheek, and fighting the urge to just kiss her.

Lily worried her lip, eyes closing as she melted at the touch. “People are waiting,” she quietly reminded him, and herself.

“I know,” he gently smiled, lifting his head again. “Sorry.” Sebastian turned his head, giving her cheek a kiss and telling her, as he withdrew, “Goodnight, Lil.”

He took his hands away, and she pulled back hers. “Goodnight, Bas,” she softly offered, turning to watch as he moved around her and headed for the door. Her breath caught for a moment, before she could say, “I’m sorry.”

Sebastian stopped, turning around to ask, “For what?”

Lily swallowed the lump building in her throat. “For being so...” Lily was lost for what to say. She only knew she felt guilty for him waiting for her. “Scared,” she finally settled on.

He nodded, thoughtfully, his eyes searching the floor. He didn’t think she needed to apologize and told her, “It’s okay, Lil. I understand. I do, really. I told you, I’d be patient.”

“I need to go slow,” she admitted, fidgeting with the ring on her finger. “And tonight...all of this...just. It’s a bit much.”

Sebastian thought he read something in her comment and took a step forward. “You could go slow?” he carefully asked.

Lily’s heart was in her throat, seeing the hesitance in his expression but hearing the hope in his question. “I mean, I-“

Lily paused, not sure what she wanted to say. They could try and figure it out, like he said; take some time when they were both in LA. But she worried while she would inch along, Sebastian would want to run. How much patience did he really have for her and the press she was trying to dance around?

Sebastian’s lips pressed together, as he nodded. “We don’t have to talk about this anymore today,” he told her. “There’s still plenty of time here. And then I’m in LA ‘til January.” He flashed a warm grin. “We don’t have to do this, right now.”

“I’m not trying to blow you off,” she said, still twisting her ring.

“I know,” he nodded. “You’ve just got a lot on your plate, now. You and Alex and the press and schedules. And then the holidays. It’s a lot for anyone, Lil. It’s okay.”

“God, I forgot about the holidays, for a minute,” she awkwardly laughed.

He snorted, amused by the wince her saw in her face. “Yeah, they sneak up fast, huh?”

Lily shyly grinned, offering, “Well, since you’ll be in town for the holidays, maybe we could spend some of the time together. Sip eggnog. Go caroling...”

Sebastian smiled, with a small nod. “I’d like that,” he agreed. He tipped his head toward the door. “You ready to go?”

Nodding, Lily said she was. Sebastian stuck out his elbow for her to slip her hand into. On the other side of the door, Drew was waiting with Brandon and Jessica was just coming back inside. She reported to Lily that there wasn’t much of a crowd outside. She told Sebastian his car was waiting. Sebastian said his goodbyes to everyone, dotting a last kiss to Lily’s cheek before he headed outside to leave. Jessica walked with Lily, bodyguards leading the way. They slipped into the car, with a photo-worthy smile and wave from Lily as her only answer to questions shouted about what the party was for and a few approving comments about her magazine cover.

—-

With another full day for work, Lily wasn’t able to really sleep in after her surprise party. When she appeared downstairs, snuggled up in one of the fluffy hotel robes and her slippers, Jessica had coffee and juice waiting. She told Lily breakfast was on the way up and shared a request for Lily to autograph a box of magazines for Caroline and Mark. Lily promised she would work on it throughout the day, so the magazines could be shipped back first thing in the morning. Lily was just settling in to the armchair in the living room, tucking her feet in underneath her and taking a taste of her coffee, when Jessica’s phone rang.

Lily was scrolling through her phone, seeing a late message she had missed from Angela sending her congratulations again and telling Lily where she and Jeff were staying, when Jessica piped up, “It’s Mark, for you.”

At the same time, Lily’s phone was just ringing, and she held up a finger to tell her assistant to wait, as she answered Alex’s call, “Good morning.”

“Good morning, beautiful,” Alex replied, and Lily blushed. “I saw Vanity Fair. You look fantastic!”

“Aw, thank you,” she meekly grinned. 

“Read it, too,” he added. “They did a helluva job, Lil.”

“Haven’t had a chance to read it all,” she admitted. 

“Probably won’t be anything new and exciting to you in there,” he quipped, “but I thought it was great.”

Lily grinned into a sip of her coffee, wagging her brow up and nodding to Jessica to say she knew she had another call waiting. “Alex, can I call you back in a couple minutes?” she asked. “I’ve got Mark on the other line.”

“Actually, could you- No, yeah, sure,” he agreed. “Call me back, when you’re done.”

Lily ended her call with Alex. She put her phone aside and took Jessica’s when it was handed to her. She greeted her publicist, watching curiously as Jessica sat across from her on the couch, intently typing on her iPad.

“Good morning, Lily,” Mark returned, although Lily noted the lack of enthusiasm.

Lily heard the sound of Mark's desk phone ringing, and going unanswered, and she warily asked, ”What’s got you in the office so early?”

“Have you talked to Alex lately?” he asked.

”I have to call him back,” Lily warily answered, her brow furrowing in suspicion as Jessica leaned out over the coffee table between them to hand Lily her tablet. “Why?”

Pinching the phone between her shoulder and ear, Lily took the tablet, setting it in her lap to turn it around the right way to see what Jessica had for her. Her eyes went wide at the headlines in the Google search results. “Oh, my god,” she breathed out.

“Oh, good,” Mark dryly said. “You’ve seen.”

“What the hell?” Lily wondered, tapping the next tab in the browser.

“I just got the call from his people,” Mark explained. “Lil, I’m sorry to blind side you with this, but I wasn’t in the loop. I just found out myself.”

“Are you okay?” Jessica whispered, perched on the edge of her seat, her fingers laced tightly together, and worriedly watching Lily.

“For the record,” Mark went on, “I am _not_ happy about any of this.”

Lily could tell from his voice that he wasn’t, but she hadn’t finished ready the Just Jared article. She out aside her mug and tipped the tablet up to a better angle. She distractedly shushed her assistant and publicist, finally getting the quiet she needed.

Lily was speechless, going to the next tab to skim over the writeup from TMZ. She felt the warmth of tears coming to her eyes, seeing the photos of Alex and an unnamed woman leaving a restaurant together, amidst the brilliant white of paparazzi camera flashes. The articles said neither Alex or the woman acknowledged the journalists outside the fancy restaurant in Berlin, but noted how neither of the half of the couple seemed pleased to have been spotted. Lily’s hand went to her mouth and a tear escaped her lashes.

“Oh, my god, Lily,” Jessica pouted. “I’m so sorry.”

Lily shook her head. She let out a small cough of a laugh and wiped at the damp line down her cheek. Lily tapped through the other open tabs, seeing slightly different versions of the same scandalous pics. And she laughed.

“Lily, I know this isn’t how we planned to handle this,” Mark apologized, “but I’ve got to say, this is already doing some good for us. As much as I’m opposed to this happening without our approval or input, the response for you is nothing but positive. They’re already crucifying him.”

“Lily?” Jessica softly questioned, obviously confused by Lily’s reaction to the news that she’d been cheated on. “You okay?”

“How bad is it?” Lily checked with Mark, waving a hand at Jessica for her not to worry and appearing to only confuse her more.

“Oh, it’s _bad_ ,” Mark assured her. “But they’re convinced they can take the hit. They don’t want any kind of mitigating from us. We just let it happen. My advice? We take this as a win for you. Lay low for a bit, send out a statement, if you want, after a day or two, and enjoy the ride.”

“I need to call him back,” Lily decided.

Mark agreed, telling Lily to call him back when she had time, so they could discuss their response. Lily handed Jessica her phone back, on her feet and dialing Alex again, before Jessica could process what had just happened. Lily took her coffee with her, smiling when Alex answered on her way back upstairs, and asking, “You sneaking son of a bitch, what have you done?”

“I hope you’re not mad,” he said, sounding almost afraid of her answer.

“Surprised is more like it,” she laughed. “What did you do? Who’s the blonde?”

Alex laughed. “That’s Danielle Harrison. From the American Ballet Theater? Her brother’s one of my producers and she’s visiting him with her sister.”

“How did you convince her to-“

“Oh, we go way back,” Alex chuckled. “Their family’s from LA. I’ve known her brother since, like, ‘04, maybe? Anyway, she’s a sweetheart. We actually dated for about a year, a long time ago. We were all out to dinner the other night and you came up and... Well, I just... After I got off the phone the other day with you? I just felt like I had to do something.

“You’re so unhappy, lately,” he told her. “All that shit with Gabriella and waiting on what we were trying to do with PR, it just-“ Alex sighed. “It wasn’t getting you anywhere. It wasn’t working fast enough to let you go, so you could move on. I thought if I could get seen somewhere with someone else, it’d give you an out. You can’t be the bad guy when you’re the victim, right? So, I told Dani and them what you and I were doing with the press and I asked for her help.

“It was easy enough to pull off,” Alex explained. “I let my people know what I was going to do. Dani and I went out for a nice dinner last night, a little bird tipped off some paps, and here we are. There’s nothing for you to worry about anymore. You’re free and the press are still none the wiser.”

“But now you’re the bad guy,” Lily frowned.

“Eh,” she heard the shrug in his voice. “Who cares? I’m a guy. They’ll forget about me being a cheating asshole in a couple weeks.”

“What about your friend?” she considered.

“Dani? Nothing to worry about there,” he assured her. “She won’t tell anybody. Even if they got a good enough look to see who she is.”

“No,” Lily shook her head. “I mean, what about her reputation?”

“She’s single,” he informed her. “It’s not ruining anything for her. Besides, she hates tabloid media. She practically jumped at the chance to fuck with them,” he laughed.

Lily grinned, feeling a little relieved. “Still,” she said, “I wish you’d have told me about this.”

“Why?” Alex chuckled. “So you could try and talk me out of it?”

“People are already writing things about you,” she told him.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “But they’re not writing anything bad about you. That was the whole point of what we started in Vancouver, wasn’t it? To try and save face for you?”

“We could’ve done that for the both of us,” she argued. “Now-“

“Now,” he interrupted, with a chuckle, “I’m _that guy_. It’s okay, Lil. I can take it. We both know a cheating scandal doesn’t work the same way for men and women in this business. All you have to do is pretend to be broken up about it for a few days and move on.”

“And you?” Lily wondered.

“We figure I’ll make a public apology statement,” he conceded, “in a day or two, taking all the blame. That way it looks like you and I had a minute to work this out, respectably. You guys can react as little or as much as you want.”

“This was a hell of a risky move for you,” Lily worried.

“Everyone will forgive and forget what they think I did,” Alex assured her. “And you’ll come out on top, like you always do. With Vanity Fair, and everything else you’ve got coming in the next couple months. You’ll be fine.

“People love you, Lil,” he reminded her. “And they want to see you happy. And if that’s you smiling with Sebastian at a Christmas party instead of me? Then that’s what it’s going to be.”

“I was never unhappy with you,” she promised him.

“I know. Me, too,” Alex said. “But we weren’t right for each other for the long run. Now, we have this funny story we probably won’t ever tell anyone.”

Lily grinned, shaking her head. “You’re insane. You know that? ...Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he chuckled. “Just try not to look too excited about our scandal, when you go out today.”

Lily laughed. ”I’ll try,” she promised. ”Now to see how the press reacts.”


	83. Chapter 83

Jessica was waiting for Lily at the bottom of the stairs, her hands folded, tightly, over the end of the banister. “Lily, are you okay?” she worried. “Is there anything I can do?”

Lily gave her a warm grin, promising, “I’m okay.” She gave Jessica’s arm a reassuring squeeze, as she passed. “Is breakfast here yet? I’m starved.”

”No?...Not yet.” Jessica shook her head. “Lily, are- Are you in shock, or something?” her assistant wondered, following after her with a confused crease in her brow.

Lily sat down at the table, taking a sip of coffee as she did. Jessica slid in to the seat across from her, staring and still befuddled. Lily put her mug down and giggled.

”Jess, it’s okay. Really,” she insisted. “Alex and I aren’t together anymore.”

”I know,” Jess nodded. “That bastard.”

”No!” Lily laughed, reaching out to pat a comforting hand over Jessica’s. “No, sweetie. Like, we haven’t been together for awhile.”

Jessica frowned, her brow still wrinkled. “I don’t understand."

There was a knock at the door and Lily and Jessica turned to see Drew let himself in. “Good morning,” he distractedly said, pushing the door shut behind him and walking with his attention down on his phone. “D’you see this shit?” he asked, turning his wrist to show Lily a pic of Alex and Dani on his phone. 

Lily hummed, as she nodded. “I did,” she smiled. 

“Bold move,” Drew noted, with a pout of approval. “He’s gonna take a big hit for doing this. Helluva guy, huh?” Lily nodded into her coffee.  “The missus is thoroughly outraged for you, by the way,” he chuckled.

The confusion in Jessica’s expression turned to mild offense, as she pointed up at Drew while he poured himself a cup of coffee. “Does he know?” she frowned. Jessica turned to Drew, accusingly asking, “Did you know?”

He nodded, picking up his mug to move to the armchair in the living area. There was another knock on the door and an announcement from the other side saying it was Room Service. Drew straightened up from his stoop to sit, telling Lily and Jessica, “I got it.”

While Drew let in the waiter with breakfast, Lily asked if Drew had eaten yet. “We did,” he told her. “Ready whenever you are.”

Jessica literally sat on her hands until Room Service left and the door was shut again. “Will somebody _please_ tell me what the hell is going on?” she cried. 

Drew snuffled a laugh, taking his seat and going back to his coffee. Lily started peeking under the silver lids covering their breakfast, casually explaining what happened between her and Alex weeks ago and how they’d been leading the press to dissolve the matter publicly and save a little dignity. Jessica had a plate of food in front of her, but hadn’t taken a bite, while Lily spoke. 

“So...” Jessica shook her head. “This whole thing, you and Alex, was all just a PR stunt?”

”No,” Lily promised her. “Alex and I really were dating. The breakup we planned was the PR stunt.”

”Actually,” Drew argued, “what _he_ did last night was the stunt.”

Jessica turned around in her chair, pointing at Drew. “And _you_ ,” she hissed. “I’m not even talking to you anymore. You knew? And you didn’t tell me?”

”You’re still talking to me, Jess,” he smugly pointed out.

The napkin Jessica threw at Drew fell short, but had Lily sputtering into her glass of juice. “Why am I the last to know?” Jessica huffed.

”You’re not,” smilingly assured her, putting a consoling hand on her arm. “Drew figured it out on his own. Nobody but me and Alex and our publicists knew what we were doing.” Lily sat back, taking up her fork again. “And then, nobody but Alex knew what he was doing.”

“I still don’t get it,” Jessica sighed, picking up her fork to poke around on her plate. “If you were already breaking up in the press, why’d he go and do that? That’s an awfully big slap in the face.”

Lily held her breath, stumped for how to answer. She glanced over, sharing a look with Drew, when he turned over his shoulder to see her, seeming to be waiting for the answer himself. Lily dropped her eyes back to her plate and shrugged.

”Well, you know,” she stalled, “the holidays are coming and he just thought we've both got things to do, why keep waiting?”

From the side of her eye, Lily saw Drew turn back around and sip his coffee. She felt a little judged, like he was disappointed in her for not saying what she figured he already knew. That Alex had sacrificed himself and made the unforgivable move to end their relationship in front of the press so that she and Sebastian could have their chance.

Lily cleared her throat and said, “So...if we could all just keep this to ourselves, please?” She lifted her eyes to see Jessica, still looking a little put out. “I’d appreciate it if everyone just kept playing along. I’ve got a cheating scandal to recover from, now.” Her assistant frowned, shaking her head to herself, and Lily checked, “Jess, you okay with this?”

“Yeah,” she weakly nodded. “It’s just-“ Jessica sighed. “I really liked Alex.”

Lily gave her a patient smile. “I know. Me, too,” she agreed. Her smile brightened, telling her, “Don’t worry. We’ll give it an appropriate cooling off period and we’ll be back to being friends again. He’ll still be around.” Jessica gave another mopey nod and Lily teasingly added, “ _And_ he’ll be single.”

”Oh, my god!” Jessica scowled. “I didn’t mean I liked him like _that_.”

”You sure? He's worth about 21 mil. Maybe you should lower your standards, Jess,” Drew smartly suggested, from his seat. 

Jessica grabbed Lily's napkin from the table and hurled it at Drew. This time, the napkin found its mark and Lily slapped a hand to her mouth to keep her mouthful of pancakes from falling out with her laughter. Drew chuckled, not bothering to look at the napkin as it slowly slipped off his shoulder and fell on the back of the chair, as if he knew ignoring it would drive Jessica even farther up the wall.

”Play nice,” Lily jokingly scolded. “Both of you.”

Jessica took a deep breath and righted herself in her chair. “So, what are we supposed to do?” she asked, the breath apparently settling her down again.

”Nothing,” Lily swept her head. “You guys just stay quiet and I sulk around and pretend to be heartbroken for a bit.”

”That’s it?” Jessica doubted.

Lily nodded. “Alex is already doing the hard part.”

“Here,” Jessica suggested. “How ‘bout these?” Lily traded the sunglasses in her hand for the ones her assistant passed her. “Bigger. People won’t be able to tell if you’ve been crying or not.”

”Nothing says ‘secretive sobbing woman’ like a pair of Jackie Ohh’s,” Lily agreed, trying on the shades.

Beside them, Drew snuffled a laugh, shaking his head. “You ready to go now?”

Lily hummed and nodded, grabbing her coat off the back of the dining chair. She was met outside by her other bodyguards and Lily greeted them with a warm smile and asked how everyone’s night was. They made a few short comments on their way down to the cars, but Lily largely tried to keep quiet and get into her new role of devastated ex-girlfriend.

Outside, the valets had Lily’s cars waiting. Also waiting outside was a small crowd of fans and paparazzi. The fans looked sad for her, calling her name for her attention and cooing their apologies and sympathies. The journalists were bold, snapping pics and shouting questions, digging for a comment or reaction of any kind. Lily simply gave a no-look polite wave, as she went straight to her SUV and climbed inside, ignoring the outstretched magazine’s her fans wanted signed.

“That wasn’t so bad,” Jessica noted, sliding in next to Lily and pulling her seatbelt on.

“It’s still early in the day,” Lily reminded her. 

On set, the gathering of spectators and reporters was a little larger than it had been the last few days. As usual, Lily was ushered directly to her trailer by her small entourage. Inside her little sanctuary, Lily slipped out of her coat and dropped her purse on the couch. She put aside her sunglasses and sighed.

“Jesus,” she groaned into a long stretch. “I’m exhausted.”

“Late night last night,” Jessica agreed, handing Lily her script and call sheet for the day.

“Jessica, can you get me another cup of coffee, please?” Lily asked, slumping into the corner of the couch to look over her notes for the day. "A big one. Like the hugest one they have. Or a bucket."

”Of course,” she smiled, tucking her phone into her coat pocket. “Anything else?”

”Oh,” she thought, “tell the guys we’re ordering in for lunch today. I should be moping around in here as much as possible, make it look like I’m hiding.”

Jessica nodded. “Right. Good idea.”

Her assistant was off to get her coffee and Lily sent a quick message to Alex, telling him paps were already camped out at her hotel that morning. He sent back a gif of the Devil mischievously rubbing his hands together and Lily couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She sent back a laughing emoji and looked up at the knock on her door.

Lily got up and went to the door. She peeked out the blinds on the window and saw a somber looking Sebastian waiting at the bottom of her steps. She was a little surprised to not see him talking with Drew and the others. Thinking of anyone who had a line of sight on her trailer, Lily paused a moment to straighten her face.

”Yes?” Lily answered, looking a bit sullen, as she peeked out the door.

”Can I come in?” Sebastian asked, flashing a weak grin.

Lily nodded and stepped aside. Sebastian pushed the door open for himself and shut it behind him. Lily was already settling back into her seat on the couch. When he turned around to see her, there were a deep crease in Sebastian’s brow.

“Was he doing that the whole time?” Sebastian asked, gesturing his hand away to reference an unseen Alex.

Lily broke into a smile. “You mean Alex? _Cheating_?” she balked.

”Yeah,” he nodded, with a huff.

”No,” she waved a hand at him. “No. She’s just a friend. It’s all a set up.”

”But this wasn’t part of your plan,” he checked, “was it?”

Lily shook her head again. “No. He came up with this all on his own.”

The anger and confusion began to dissolve from his expression and he wiped a hand down over his mouth, rubbing at his chin. He nodded to himself, thinking he understood what she was saying and exasperatingly telling her, “You guys are killing me, Benny.”

She snickered and pushed her coat and purse further down the couch, before patting the cushion beside her for him to sit. He crossed the trailer and Lily told him, as he sat down, “I was just as surprised as anyone.”

”But you’re okay, right?” he worried.

Lily pressed her lips into a thin grin, nodding. “Mhm. Alex and I talked this morning,” she explained. “He did it as a favor, I guess. So maybe I didn’t have to wait so long to...” She shrugged. “move on.”

There was a subtle rise in his brow and Lily saw. Her smile turned shy, as he clarified, “So, he made it look like he was cheating on you so you would dump him and you could move on?”

“Our publicists originally had it all planned out for just before Thanksgiving,” she said. “He didn’t think I should have to wait.” Her gaze fell down to her fingers fidgeting with the end her sweater’s sleeve. “I told him I told you about our little thing with the press.”

“I didn’t tell anyone,” he assured her. “I wasn’t going to.”

Lily smiled. “I know. But he...kinda knew about you...having a thing for me.”

”He did?” Sebastian asked, a little worried about maybe having done or said something to upset Alex while he and Lily were dating.

”He guessed, actually,” she nodded. “I told him, when we broke up.”

”I’m sorry,” he frowned, feeling guilty. “If I did _any_ thing to make him-“

“No no no,” she put up a hand. “No. _After_ we broke up. He figured it out after.” Her brow rose, admitting, “He actually kind of liked the idea. That we’d be good together.”

”I always knew he was a smart guy,” Sebastian quipped and Lily giggled.

There was a quick knock on the door and Jessica came back in, saying, “You would not be _lieve_ what people are saying out there.” Jessica turned around from shutting the door and stopped. “Oh! Sorry. Didn’t know we had company?” She came over to hand Lily her drink, asking Sebastian, as she jerked her thumb back toward the door, “Did you need some coffee, or anything?”

”No, thank you,” he smiled.

Jessica went on, telling Lily, as she took off her coat, “You’re lucky this set doesn’t have torches and pitchforks.”

”What?” Lily laughed.

Jessica’s eyes went wide for emphasis. “People are ready to _kill_ Alex,” she assured them. “It’s gonna be bad.”

Lily groaned, balancing her coffee on the arm of the couch. “This’ll be harder than I thought.”

”Harder than what?” Sebastian asked.

”I thought I could get away with just pouting for a couple days and hiding out,” Lily explained, “but if people are making such a big deal about it, I’ll have to play it up a bit.”

”Maybe you guys should’ve stuck with the original plan,” Sebastian muttered.

From her seat at the table, Jessica looked up from her laptop and flung a hand at Sebastian. “ _He_ knew?”

Lily snickered and Sebastian looked thoroughly offended. “What’d I do?”

Lily waved her hands down at both of them. “Shh,” she smiled. “Jess is mad at me because I didn’t tell her what was going on.”

”Don’t feel bad,” Sebastian offered. “I only heard about it last week.”

”Last _week_?” Jessica gaped.

”What?” he looked to Lily, holding his hands up helplessly, as Jessica stood up from the table.

”She just heard this morning,” Lily leaned over to whisper to Sebastian.

“Ohh,” he breathed. “Sorry, Jess.”

Tugging her coat back on, Jessica announced, “I’m getting my own coffee.”

Lily and Sebastian sniggered, watching her go. When Jessica was out the door, Sebastian turned to Lily, marveling, “She’s _actually_ mad. I’m sorry. I figured your people knew.”

“She’ll get over it,” Lily promised, ahead of a sip of her coffee. “She just doesn’t like being out of the loop. I think it’s more a job thing. She’s got her hands in everything else, ya know?”

”Understandable,” he agreed. “Poor thing. I can’t tell who's having the worse day. You or Jess?” he laughed. 


	84. Chapter 84

Sebastian watched Lily take another drink of her coffee. “So,” he paused, waiting for her to finish. “What’s your plan for all of this?”

“For all of what?”

He shrugged, considering, “Well, I mean, obviously you’ve got some moping around to do, like you said.” He motioned his hand toward the door. “And people are already talking about you and Alex. How do you play this out, exactly?”

“My publicist says this is a big win for me,” she said. “As awful as that sounds. But Alex swears it won’t hurt him that bad; says he’ll bounce back in a couple weeks.”

“Guys kinda get a pass on stuff like this, in the press,” he agreed, “comparatively speaking.”

“People are already giving me sympathy online,” she noted. “All I have to do is look sad for a bit.”

Sebastian couldn’t stop himself from asking, “How long you going to be sad for?”

Lily snorted, moving her coffee back from the drink she was about to take. She nodded to herself. She should have seen that coming. Lily grinned and shook her head.

“That’s the tricky part,” she conceded. “Too soon and I could like I was cheating, too.”

Sebastian nodded, with a contemplative hum. He cocked up a brow, suggesting, “Or like you were out for revenge.”

Lily winced. “Yeesh. Didn’t think of that.”

“Nothing wrong with a little revenge,” he casually shrugged, with a thoughtful pout.

Lily paused, her head tilted with a contemplative frown. When she looked over at Sebastian, he wagged up his brow and she laughed, doubting, “Oh, my god are you serious? Do you have any idea the firestorm that would cause?” 

Sebastian pursed his lips, his gaze drifting away in thought, as he gave a slow nod. “Yyyes,” he decided. He looked back at her. “But it’d be kinda fun, too. Cah'mon, Benny,” he prodded, with a fiendish grin. “Be wild and spontaneous for once. See what reckless feels like, instead of playing by everybody else’s rules for you.”

“Look at you,” she smirked, putting a playful shove into his arm. “When did you turn into such a bad boy?” 

“You know me, Lil,” he grinned. “I’ve always lived my life dangerously.”

“Pfft,” she scoffed. “You’ve probably already talked to your mom 10 times this week.”

“My mother’s a saint,” he told her, putting up a finger for emphasis.

She grabbed his finger, wrapping her hand around it to give his hand a shake. “I know,” she defeatedly grumbled and pushed his hand away from her face. “So, what did you plan on doing?” she wondered. Lily flipped her hand out toward the door. “You just wanna fall out the door, sucking face?”

“Is that an option?” he checked, sitting up to lean his forearms onto his knees and quirking up a brow.

“A little restraint,” she begged, putting up her hand, “please. After all, I am _the_ cover girl for Vanity Fair.”

He shifted in his seat, angling himself to her, as she giggled at her own joke. “I’ve never dated a girl from the cover of Vanity Fair,” he noted.

“Ahh, I see,” Lily nodded. “So, you’re just in it for the novelty, huh? Another checkmark for your list?”

“Well, yeah,” he scoffed, as if she shouldn’t have had to ask, turning his palms up in an insulted shrug. “What else would I be in it for?”

They both laughed and Lily felt the warmth in her cheeks, grinning shyly at the way he smiled at her when their humor had subsided. It was quiet again and Sebastian conceded, “I know I told you we’d be patient,” he tipped his head in consideration, “but there’s still no time like the present.” He shrugged. “Seems like everything’s just kinda falling together, ya know?” 

Lily nodded, watching the space between them shrink, as Sebastian inched over on the couch. He reached a hand out, resting it gently on her knee. His thumb brushed back and forth, slowly. 

“So, what d’ya say we just run with it, for once?” he asked. “You and me, not listening to what anybody else says or writes in the press; just doing whatever the hell we want.”

The anxious butterflies in her belly couldn’t be ignored. But there was something so sincere and hopeful in what he was saying that Lily couldn’t help but feel excited. She found herself nodding, before she even knew what to say. Sebastian moved closer, his arm resting on the back of the couch to steady his lean in. Lily met him halfway, their lips tentatively touching for a moment. 

“S‘That okay?” he quietly asked, with small grin in the corner of his mouth. 

“That wasn’t so bad,” she gently teased.

He didn’t wait for an invitation. Sebastian went back in for another kiss. His hand came up from her knee, his fingertips combing into her hair and thumb sweeping down her cheek. Lily’s own hand came up to curl over his arm. The moment was sweet and affectionate, gentle and completely interrupted by the gasp from the doorway.

“What. the. _fuck_?” Jessica gaped, twisting to hurriedly shut the door behind her.

Lily winced away and Sebastian shrank back to sit on his own cushion of the couch again. He casually carded his hand down the side of his hair, hissing in a breath through teeth bared in awkwardness. Lily shaded her hand over her eyes, embarrassedly saying, “Oh, good. Jess, you’re back. Thanks for knocking.”

“I _did_ knock,” she insisted, sounding as mortified as she looked. “I knocked like I always do, but you- You’re...” Jessica lifted a helpless hand toward them. “I mean... _What_?”

“Maybe she better sit down,” Sebastian suggested, as an aside to Lily, as he pushed himself up off the couch and wandered away toward the end of the room.

The door opened again and Drew looked in. Glancing around, he questioned, “Everything alright?”

“Yes,” Lily and Sebastian answered, almost in unison, while Jessica complained, “No!”

Drew stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. “What?” he pressed.

“Nothing,” Lily promised.

Jessica’s face suddenly lit up, gasping in excitement with the idea, “I saw it first. This time, _I_ knew first!”

“What?” Drew begged, shaking his head with a deep crease of confusion in his brow.

“ _Nothing_ ,” Lily and Sebastian both said together.

“Ohh,” Drew nodded to himself. He looked between the two stars, pointing a finger back at forth at them and cocking up a brow to ask, “Finally?”

Lily gave a small and bashful shrug and Jessica’s face fell in an instant. She put a shove into Drew’s arm, scowling accusingly. “ _You knew_?”

“Yeah, he had you beat by miles,” Sebastian said, lifting a hand toward Drew.

”Since when?” Jessica frowned, crossing her arms tightly and looking the bodyguard up and down.

”Montauk,” Drew shrugged.

Jessica pointed a finger across the three of them. “Since _Montauk_?” she balked. 

“Nothing actually happened in Montauk,” Sebastian chimed in, trying to calm her down.

“But he- You just-“ Jessica dropped her head back and made a petulant whine. “What the hell? I’m the last to know everything.”

Beside her, Drew chuckled and Jessica slapped her hand across his arm as punishment. Lily and Sebastian couldn’t help their own amusement and sputtered into their own laughter.

“You getting this all out of your system?” Drew asked Jessica, who was still frowning.

“Jess, hon,” Lily spoke up, “I really need you to-“ 

“No no no,” Jessica put up her hands and bowed her head. “No, I’m good. I’m over it.”

“Because we really all need to try and act-“

“I promise,” she nodded. “I’m done. It’s okay.”

“I swear,” Lily assured her, “there’s nothing else you don’t know. Okay?”

Jessica reluctantly nodded and Sebastian chimed in, “Sorry, Jess.”

She waved him off, with an almost convincing smile, as she checked her watch and reminded Lily, “Five minutes until you’re supposed to be at Wardrobe.”

Lily kept to herself, in between shoots. She stood around with Jessica or kept an occasional minute of company with Sebastian or their director, but, for the most part, Lily stayed behind her sunglasses and wore a stoic expression. It was quite the contrast to the atmosphere in her trailer for lunch. Gathered between the table and living room furniture, Lily and her small entourage laughed and made jokes, over an excessive amount of takeout Chinese food.

There was a keyed up voicemail from Angela to return. Before going back to work, Lily called to calm down her friend and explain everything. Once Angela heard the whole story, she took to it surprisingly well. Lily just asked, if anyone recognized her around, for her and Jeff to play the part of unhappy for their friends’ situation, but to limit their comments. They made plans for Angela and Jeff to meet her for dinner in her suite to talk more.

Lily heard back from her publicist, as well. His staff had been inundated with calls and emails looking for comments or a statement from Lily or her people. Mark was declining everyone, leaving them to pile up in his voicemail and messages. He and Lily decided to stay quiet for the day and issue a generic statement asking for privacy later. 

On the ride home, Lily spoke to Alex about it all on the phone. His people already had a statement written for the press that they were going to send over to Mark and see if they wanted to co-issue it. In the draft Alex read to her, the statement asked for the press to respect the couple’s privacy as they had mutually decided to separate. It went on to generically say that the pair had worked out their differences and appreciate everyone’s kindness and concerns. It avoided specifics or assigning any blame and left the door open for them to still be friends.

“I like that,” Lily told him. “I think Mark will, too. I guess they’ll probably put that out in a day or two.”

“Probably,” Alex agreed. “So, how’d today go at work?”

“Oh, well,” Lily smiled, “you know how exhausting it can be to be part of a scandal. I had to wear large sunglasses _all_ day and keep to myself. It was _very_ trying.”

“You poor dear,” he cooed. “I’m so sorry.”

Lily snickered, telling him, “It’s been about what I expected. Extra paps hanging around, people with a lot of questions and trying to bait me.” She peeked around the back of Drew’s seat to see out the windshield. “We’re just coming up to the hotel now. There’s probably twice as many people as there were this morning. Ugh.”

“So, you probably have to go,” Alex figured.

“Oh, no,” she told him. “Stay on the phone with me. Please? I could use a prop to ignore them and maybe you can hear them.”

Alex stayed on the line with her. Lily slid out of the SUV, when Drew opened the door. She paused for Jessica to get out of the car and hand her her purse, before Drew and his guys gathered around Lily to move her inside. On the short walk in from the valet stand, Lily was quiet and hid behind her sunglasses, even though the sun had already set.

“Lily! Lily!”  
“Lily, have you heard from Alex?”  
“Lily, how are you?”  
“Over here, Lily!”  
“Are you surprised that he cheated?”  
“Did you know about the other girl?”  
“Lily! Look this way!”  
“Lily, do you-“

Inside the lobby, Lily could hear Alex again. Her security team kept her moving to the elevator, as Alex laughed, “That’s ridiculous!”

“And the fans are so sad,” Lily regretfully told him. “Some of them have been crying. The paps have bullied them into the background, but they’re still out there.”

“It’s about like that here, too,” he said. “I see more flashes than fans, when you look off to the edge of the set.”

“Vultures,” Lily grumbled. “On the other hand, that means what you did worked, so high five yourself for that.”

“I am a little proud,” Alex smugly admitted.

The paparazzi outside were in it for the long haul. Ami met Angela and Jeff in the lobby to make sure they got in without any trouble. Angela’s own minor fame as a writer and one of Lily’s best friends got the photographers’ immediate attention, when she got out of the car. She and her husband didn’t stop walking, as Ami stepped out to meet them halfway and usher them through the door, but she did give them one clip to use, when they begged for a reaction to the scandal, saying, “I’m very sad for my friends.”

Jessica and Mark had been watching the media’s handling of the story and gathered some of the more interesting articles for Lily to read and clips to watch. With Jessica’s iPad in her lap, Lily snickered and commented on the entertainment show segments and tabloid stories she read. Everyone was still giving her sympathy. Alex was getting dragged in the comments sections of stories, while everyone pitied Lily. 

The stars’ publicists put out their joint statement on their professoinally managed social media pages. Hollywood’s queen and her Prince Charming we’re officially over. Alex had sent her an arrangement of roses, as an apology for blindsiding her with the scandal. They arrived in the suite with some other small bouquets from fans, that had been left at the front desk, to express their grief over the end the relationship. Lily couldn’t help but smile at the outpouring of support, for once, at her breakup. Everything was happening the way Alex had said it would.

Lily went moping about another day on set, to meet the public's expectations that she was heartbroken. It was Jeff and Angela’s last day in town. They visited Lily and Sebastian on set. The quartet caused quite a sensation when they went to a nearby cafe for lunch. They were all mindful to not look like they were enjoying themselves too much, but they did share some tempered laughs, giving the impression to the paps outside on the sidewalk that Lily’s friends were slowly helping her start to heal.

”I still can’t believe he did this,” Angela shook her head, dipping her fries into some ketchup.

”Hell of a guy,” Jeff swept his head.

”He sent flowers,” Lily mentioned, “apologizing for all this happening without warning.”

”Aww,” Angela cooed, putting her food down as her brow rose up. “He’s so sweet. I love him.”

Sebastian and Jeff chuckled, and Jeff reminded his wife, “Don’t forget, he’s the enemy, dear.”

”I know,” she rolled her eyes, picking up her fries again. “But he’s still so good to her. I love him. Sue me.” Angela hurriedly put up a hand and apologized to Sebastian, around the food in her mouth, saying, “No offense, Seb. I love you, too.”

He laughed, ducking and shaking his head. “Why apologize to me?”

”Well, because,” Angela paused to swallow her food, “you know, aren’t you two, now that Lily’s single,” she shrugged, “ya know, gonna try and uhh...” Her eyes widened and she tipped her head. “ _You know_...”

Sebastian’s posture involuntarily straightened, as he fumbled, “Uh, well...” Beside him, Lily sputtered into her glass. His face scrunched and his attention went to the fork in his hand. “I mean, why would you even-“

”Oh, come on,” Angela groused. She lowered her voice to tell him, “We all know.”

Lily stayed in the background by wiping her napkin at her lips and keeping her eyes averted to her plate, as Sebastian gently cleared his throat to say, “Well, I mean, nobody’s even talking about anything, you know, because the whole Alex thing.”

Lily’s cheeks warmed, listening to Sebastian’s bashful attempt at dodging Angela’s prodding and thinking of their pair of stolen kisses in her trailer, as Angela confidently said, ”I think you should do it.” Angela picked up another corner of her club sandwich. “Take that phrase how ever you want to.”

Jeff dropped and shook his head, turning to his wife. “Dear god, woman. Do you have any couth?” he chuckled. “Geez, Ang. We’re trying to have lunch here and support our friend in her time of need, and you’re sitting here-“

”I know. I know,” she waved him away, as she chewed. “I’m just saying, you get my vote.”

”Thanks, Ang,” Sebastian humbly grinned.

”And it’s about damn time,” she added, ahead of a drink.


	85. Chapter 85

After their meal, Lily slipped back into character, and slipped on her Jackie Ohhs. She put on a stoic face, stepping out of the restaurant tucked into the center of a protective bubble of her friend’s and security, shielding her from the press as they went straight for their cars. Lily and Sebastian said another quick goodbye to Angela and Jeff, at the curb. The married couple played their part, wearing sympathetic frowns as they hugged Lily in front of the cameras. The costars had shared a ride from the set and slid into the back of one of Lily’s rented SUVs.

Peering outside from the privacy of the car’s limo tint windows, Sebastian marveled, “God, they really are piling up, aren’t they? Seems like there’s more today.”

“Depends on where we are,” Lily grumbled. “I think they know they’re not gonna get close at locations, but know they’ve got the whole public sidewalk as I’m coming and going anywhere else.”

“You should just sleep in your trailer for the rest of the shoot,” he joked. “Bet they’d lose interest pretty quick.”

“If I thought it’d work...” she muttered.

Sebastian reached over the seat to pat his hand over hers. “Don’t let ‘em get you down, Lil,” he grinned. “We had a good lunch with Jeff and Angie, before they left. That’s somethin’.”

Lily nodded, flashing an appreciative grin. “I know. It was nice to get to see them again before they had to go,” she agreed.

“Besides,” he went on, “people will forget about all this, soon enough. You’ve got all that press coming up and then award season...”

“Hopefully,” she breathed.

“Cah’mon, Benny,” he playfully urged. “Cheer up. Only another 7 hours of work.” 

“Oh, is that all?” she snickered.

“Can I ask you a question?” Sebastian checked, taking a casual look around and pulling his earbuds out, standing with Lily as she sipped hot tea to keep warm and they waited for the next scene to start.

“You just did,” she teased. “You want another one?”

A small snort escaped him, as he ducked and shook his head. “Yeah. Please,” he nodded, and she told him to go ahead. “Is it _really_ like this, all the time?” He gestured, lifting a finger off his own styrofoam cup to point through the cameras and other equipment toward the fans and paps gathered on the edge of the set. “I hear what you say, it’s just that- I don’t know. I mean, I know they’re here for the whole thing with Alex, but, if you were back in LA, just buying groceries or something...”

Lily looked over and frowned. “Sometimes,” she told him. “Depends on if I’m working or between projects, how much I’m working, who I’m seeing, if it’s around award season. Stuff like that. Some version of that,” she inclined her head toward the small crowd, “for the better part of this year. This one’s been particularly hectic.”

“How do you do it?” he shook his head.

“Been doing it for so long now...” she weakly shrugged.

“But how do you not let it not bother you, every day?” Sebastian pressed, feeling a little bad for her in the odd situation she was in. “Like tell them to fuck off, or somethin’, everyday. This would drive anyone mad.”

Lily gave a small nod, as she sipped her drink. “It does. A lot sometimes, actually,” she admitted. “More than that, lately.”

“Ridiculous,” he muttered, giving a disapproving scowl and sweep of his head at the photographers.

“S’pose I should be used to it,” Lily shrugged. “This is what I signed up for, right? Be an actress and the public has a right to watch you 24/7?”

“No,” he flatly disagreed.

“Tell that to them,” she dryly said, wagging her brow and tipping her head to the crowd. 

Sebastian glared at the paparazzi, for a long minute, from behind his Wayfarers. He put down his empty cup and pocketed his hands in his jacket. He turned back to Lily, wondering, “You ever think about gettin’ away from it all?”

“About running away?” she quirked up a brow. “More than you’d think.”

Sebastian grinned, snuffling a laugh. “No,” he corrected, “like getting out of LA.”

Her head tipped in a moment’s consideration, before answering, “I’ve still got the house in Los Osos. It’s kinda quiet, right on the water. I haven’t been there since summer last year.”

“Why not?” he asked.

“It’s kind of a hike,” she halfheartedly explained. “I’ve got so much going on lately, I can’t really afford to be too far away. ...Should probably just sell it,” she figured. “Would need to update one of the bathrooms, though, to get it ready. Probably get 1.8 out of it. 1.9, if I have it repainted and redo the patio.”

“I ask about escaping LA and you’re _actually_ thinking about selling the place you could run away to?” he laughed.

The question broke her concentration and she laughed at herself. “Oops,” she shrugged.

“You've been in LA too long, Benny,” he decided, with a smirk and a confident nod of his head. “You don’t know what to do without it anymore.”

“Probably not,” she conceded.

“You should come back to New York,” he told her. “After this winter, when things settle down again. We’ll go back to Montauk, rent a house for a month or two, and let people forget who we are.”

“Sounds nice,” she quietly mused.

“You could switch coasts all together, ya know?” he suggested, his brow rising slightly above his sunglasses in interest of her response to the idea. “It’s different, on the other side. Quieter. They mostly leave you alone. You can kind of, like, blend in there.”

“Trouble always seems to find me,” she smirked, going in for another sip of her tea.

“Maybe you _are_ the trouble,” Sebastian flashed a sly smile. 

“Having second thoughts?” she teased, quirking up a brow.

Sebastian’s lips puckered into a tight grin and he shook his head, rocking back on his heels. “Nope.”

”Here,” Jessica said, appearing beside Lily to trade the lip balm in her hand for Lily’s cup. “They’re ready.”

Sebastian watched, with an amused grin, as Lily dabbed on some balm with the tip of her little finger, seemingly unaffected by  the costumer coming in to pull the jacket off from over Lily’s shoulders as the stylist touched and twisted Lily’s hair back into place over her shoulder. “I don’t know how you do it, Benny,” he chuckled.

At the end of the day, Lily was in her trailer, finishing a bottle of water while she listened to a voicemail from her agent about the scheduling of her next interviews for Elle and W. There was a thank you in there about the autographs she’d added to the copies of her Vanity Fair magazine and a reminder that they needed to schedule a strategy meeting with the rest of her team before awards season began.

On the other side of the room, Jessica was scrolling through the Google results for the latest news and gossip on Alex’s “affair”. She read a couple blurbs out loud, concluding, “Yep. They still hate him.”

”It’s only been a couple days,” Lily knew. “It’ll start to die down soon.”

”So, how are you going to play this out?” Jessica wondered, handing Lily her coat.

Lily hummed her curiosity, before asking, “What do you mean?”

”With Sebastian and mourning Alex,” she coaxed her on, with a small shrug. “How do you two, ya know, break the news, when it’s time to go public?”

”Hadn’t really gotten that far,” Lily admitted, flipping her hair out from under her collar. 

“How far _have_ you gotten?”

Lily’s jaw slacked into a surprised gape, obnoxiously gasping in feigned offense. “How dare you, Jessica. I am a lady.”

”Not _that_ ,” she rolled her eyes, giving into a grin. “I meant, am I supposed to be including him in travel plans and dinner reservations, or what? If the two of you start attending events together, do you want to renegotiate your contract with MPS to include Sebastian, or should he be a separate client and-“

”No,” she shook her head. “Nothing like that. Not yet.” Lily let out a sigh, her eyes flitting up to the ceiling for a moment. “It’s weird, okay? I mean, we don’t really know what we’re doing. I know he’ll be in LA for filming, after we wrap here, but we don’t have any definite plans. I don’t know how much free time he’ll have or how we’ll spend any of that time together.”

”I already RSVP’d for you for the White House Christmas party,” Jessica mentioned. “I’ll either have to cancel your plus one or give them another name besides Alex. And there’s a stack of party invitations waiting. I’m just trying to figure out what to do.”

Lily’s eyes widened, just thinking about making holiday appearances. “We can’t answer any more RSVP’s,” she decided, with a sweep of her head. 

“Do I cancel with the White House?” Jessica worried, shrugging on her own coat. “I know how much you like that one.”

”Don’t do anything,” Lily told her. “Just...sit on it for a day or two.”

”Okay, but in the meantime,” she carefully went on, “can you try to figure out at least some of this? I need to know more about his schedule and obligations, if I’m gonna be able to keep any of your time open for him, ya know?”

Lily couldn’t quite place where the bravery came from, but she managed not to hesitate when Sebastian invited her over for dinner the next night. Admittedly, she had begun to feel a little more confident, over the last couple of days. She heard nothing but good news and praise from her team over her issue of Vanity Fair. They were excited for Rolling Stone to hit stands in another two days, and we’re still riding high on the outpouring of support for Lily since her and Alex’s “scandal” broke. It was all starting to come back together for her.

Curled into the corner of the couch in Sebastian’s suite, with her feet tucked under her and knees tipped into the back of the sofa, Lily plucked a dumpling from the dish on the coffee table with her chopsticks, holding it over her plate to eat. On the TV, Daniel Craig had just fought his way out of a pit of Komodo dragons and Sebastian mused, “I bet he’s a cool guy to hangout with.”

“He is,” Lily nodded, taking another bite of dumpling.

“Oh, of course,” he sarcastically agreed. “Naturally, you’ve hung out with James Bond.”

Lily snickered, as she finished chewing. “I’ve actually met three Bonds,” she casually bragged.

“So, what?” he laughed. “You’re a Bond Girl now?”

“Could be,” she shrugged. “Got an offer.”

“Are you sh-?” he balked, putting down his glass. “You turned down being a _Bond Girl_? When?”

“Well,” she thoughtfully pouted, “I didn’t turn it down, per se. Daniel suggested it, but he wasn’t sure if he was going to keep doing it or not. If it’s not with him, I don’t know if I’d do it. It’d have to be someone else _really_ good.”

“Daniel Craig... _personally_ invited you to be one of his Bond Girls?” he gaped.

“Yeah,” she grinned, a little proud of the story. “I was in London, out at a pub for some drinks with Danny Boyle and he happened to come in. He came over to say hello and joined us. We had a couple drinks, talked shop...” Lily shrugged. “That was that.”

“Oh, my god,” he quietly marveled. “You’re life is ridiculous.”

Lily laughed, gesturing at him with the last bit of her dumpling. “Oh, come on,” she argued. “We both have crazy “I’ve met” stories.”

“Yeah,” he allowed, waving a hand over to her, “but none of mine include running in to James Bond at a pub and having a pint.”

“Maybe someday...” she playfully suggested.

“If I keep hanging out with you, maybe,” he grinned.

“Speaking of hanging out...” Lily saw her opening and put her finished plate aside. “We need to talk.”

Taking a napkin to wipe at his mouth, Sebastian’s brow creased in curiosity. “That sounds ominous,” he noted.

Lily flashed a shy grin. “It’s not,” she promised. “It’s just, Jess and I were talking yesterday and she brought up a couple questions.”

“Like what?” he invited, shifting to sit in his own corner of the couch and face her.

“Mostly about Christmas.”

“Well, that’s easy,” he shrugged. “Yes. I love Christmas. Next question!”

“No,” she laughed, shaking her head and stretching out a foot to nudge his knee. “About attending Christmas parties and stuff. There’s invitations and RSVPs out there and we have to decide how to answer them.”

“We meaning _you_ guys,” he checked, and then pointed a finger between himself and Lily, “or we meaning _we_?”

“Yes.”

“Glad we cleared that up,” he nodded.

“You dork,” she sighed, combing her fingers into her hair and tipping her head to rest in her hand propped up on the back of the couch. “Like, the White House Christmas Party,” she offered, holding out her free hand. “We already RSVP’d for me and Alex.”

”And now he’s out of the picture...” Sebastian understood.

”I have to decide if I’m going solo or even going at all,” Lily explained. She bit at her lip, before the third option. “Or am I going with you?”

Sebastian blinked. “The White House Christmas Party?” he repeated, swallowing the lump that appeared in the back of his throat. “Like, _the_ White House? That the President lives in?”

”Yes,” she nodded, trying to hold back a smile, “ _that_ white one.”

”You want me to go?” he checked, pointing back at himself, still a bit thrown by the prestige the event held.

Lily gave him a nod, admitting, “I hate going to these things alone. I’ve always had a date, or something, but with Alex...” She trailed off, worrying her lip again.

“Ang, or someone, doesn’t want to fill in?” he wondered.

“Actually,” she reconsidered, “the only person I’ve thought about going with is you...if you wanted to go with me.”

“That’s, uh...” His brow rose, considering, “That’s kind of a big deal.” Lily nodded her agreement. “I mean, it’s- Well, you know. And going with _me_... That’s-“ Sebastian’s cheeks puffed out, as he exhaled, and his eyes bugged at the significance of such an appearance would mean for them together. “Doesn’t really fit in to the notion of low key, though.”

”I know.” He nodded to himself and she quickly added, “I can always cancel.”

”No,” he hurriedly assured her. “No, I don’t mean- I mean, you and me, can sneak and low key it for awhile and stay away from the press, but,” he swept his head, “not going to something like that. You thought about that, right?”

”Not really,” she nervously confessed. “It’s more of that spontaneous and reckless bit you recommended the other day.”

”Wait,” Sebastian held up a hand. “Are you really taking advice from _me_?” Lily ducked her head into her hand, her hair falling over her face as she tittered in embarrassment of his question and gave his knee another push with her foot. “Man,” he realized, “then we really are going with reckless, aren’t we?”

“I thought it was time for that,” she excused, “listening to the way you talk. Let Mark and everyone handle the business of being me and me...just,” Lily shrugged, “doing whatever the hell I want.”

“We’re gonna have to change your middle name to “danger”,” he decided.

“Shut up,” Lily frowned, as best she could. “Do ya wanna go with me or not?”

Sebastian grinned at her smile breaking through. “Yeah,” he nodded. “I wanna go.”

“Okay,” she agreed.

He held up a finger, adding, “If I’m free. I start filming again, as soon as we’re done, remember?”

“If you’re free,” she understood, straightening out her other leg so her feet settled on Sebastian’s knee.

“Okay,” he smiled, more than a little enthused to see her coming out of her shell again.

“And if not, I’ll just call Daniel Craig,” she quietly and quickly added.

“You’ll what now?” Sebastian scoffed.

Lily held up her open hands and shook her head. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Fuck me,” he winced, realizing, “You’ve got Daniel Craig’s phone number, don’t you?” Lily nodded, shrinking into her shoulders and bashfully biting her thumb nail, as she snickered. “That’s it,” he decided. “Gimme your phone.” He held out his open hand to her. “We’re calling James Bond. Hand it over.”

“Nnno,” she said, grabbing her phone off the table and stuffing it under the pillow behind her. 

“Lil,” he said, in all seriousness, cocking up a brow and tipping his head, “it’s time to crank call James Bond.”

“Nooo,” she petulantly whined. “I wanna be a Bond Girl! You’ll ruin it!”

He couldn’t keep a straight face against her worried pout and his shoulders shook with the laughter he was trying to hold down. “It’ll be fun, I promise.”

She put up a finger in warning. “I won’t take you to the White House Christmas Party,” she threatened.

Sebastian withdrew his hand and folded his arms, sulking at the end of the couch. “Fine.”


End file.
